


Smoke and Grit

by TheTruthHertz



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Anniversaries, Arguements, Bad Pearl/Officer Garnet, Balloons, Bellow Diamond isn't until the final chapter, Big Buff Adorable Cheeto Puff, Bills, Blood, Breakups, Cliffhangers, Corrupt police, Crass language, Crutches, Death Threats, Delinquent, Drinking, Drug Dealing, Drug lords, Drugs, Duct Tape, Escape Plans, Escapes, Exchanging Phone numbers, Explicit Sexual Content, Explosions, F/F, Face Sitting, Fire, Fires, Flashbacks, Friends With Benefits, Gangs, Good-byes, Guns, Hallucinations, Hospitals, Human AU, Initiation, Islamic Blue Diamond, Job Loss, Kidnapping, Knives, Light Bondage, Losing apartment, Lost Hope, Love Statement, Masturbation, Minor Character Death, Moths, Moving, Near Death Experiences, Nightmares, Nurses, Out of Character, Panic Attacks, Past Drug Use, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pranks, Rehabilitation, Rescues, Reunions, Safewords, Sexual Assault, Sexual Humor, Smoking, Smut, Snow, Snowball Fights, Some characters are only mentioned - Freeform, Strap-Ons, Stress, Surprise appearances, Swearing, Tattoos, Torture, Ultra Power Lemon Sour (YD), Underage Smoking, Undercover, Violence, Vomit, Yellow doesn't relax often, awesome moms, beatings, confusing reality, dead bodies, dice - Freeform, doubts, lots of injuries, masturbation jokes, memories mixed with nightmares, mistreatment by police, puns, sad past, vows of revenge, yellow die, zip-ties
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-20
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-09-01 05:03:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 38
Words: 209,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8609827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTruthHertz/pseuds/TheTruthHertz
Summary: Beach City's resident loiter, Pearl, is about to have her life shaken up as a figure from her past comes to ask her to leave Kofi Pizza's Pizza shop peacefully.  Harsh words will be exchanged, and maybe a few punches.  Just what happened between the two for them to end up where they are now?Danger approaches the peaceful town of Beach City in the form of a business suit and two six sided die.  Just what business does Yellow Diamond have in the sleepy tourist town?**Author's Note: This fic will be listed at M, but some chapters will be rated higher depending on the content, so be sure to check any beginning notes.  Also I will include my markers of /*** and ***\ around and scenes that some readers might want to skip (all chapters have been updated with these).**





	1. Annoyance

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is! The Bad Pearl/Officer Garnet AU that I have been working on. Hope you all enjoy this wild ride that I have planned for you all. Ratings will increase in some chapters.
> 
> All characters and places used in this work belong to their amazing creator Rebecca Sugar in her show "Steven Universe".

^^^^^^

Pearl shows her dislike for a certain cop a number of different ways.

^^^^^^

 

            Lips pursed together, expertly holding the stick of paper-wrapped tobacco in place as lungs expanded, drawing the sharp smoke into them.  The chemicals steadily worked into the bloodstream to soothe frayed nerves.  A stream of smoke was blown into the air as the lungs compressed and a portion of the thin lips opened to allow the white vapor to escape.  Narrow shoulders moved up and down for a moment, scratching an itch in the area between her shoulder blades with the rough brick found on the side of the pizza shop.  Satisfied for the moment, another long inhale took in the smoke yet again before expelling it two seconds later.  An elbow bumped her in the side.  Dull, light blue eyes glanced down at the shorter figure expectantly holding out their wide tan hand.  Eyes rolled back as thin pale fingers reached into the inside breast pocket of her leather jacket to pull out her pack of cigarettes.  She handed one down and made a quick count of how many she had left.  5.  Enough to get through the day, hopefully.  With a metallic clink and flick, the shorter lit their cigarette and took a long draw; leaning back on the brick building.  No words were exchanged at the moment, the two just enjoyed the peace and their cigarettes.

            “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times!  Get off my property!” A familiar upset male voice in the distance yelled.  “I’m giving you five minutes before I call the cops you delinquents!  My customers are scared away by you.”

            “What customers,” Pearl scoffed more to herself than the pizza shop owner.

            “Exactly!  If you weren’t always here I’d get more business!”

            The tall thin woman sneered.  She hadn’t intended for him to hear, but oh well.  Eyes looked out watching a couple of dead leaves blow by in the empty paved street.

            “It’s only been like a half an hour and he’s already calling Jasper on us?” the short teen groaned.

            Pearl shrugged, not caring and definitely not heeding the warning.  It had been another ridiculously slow day at the mechanic shop.  After finishing all the work her boss lined up for her, and waiting to see if anything else would come up, the strawberry blonde had simply left to hang out at one of her spots.

            It didn’t take long for the cop car to arrive.  Amethyst cursed and stomped out her cigarette, slouching even more.  Pearl looked away and took another drag.  A low voice spoke with Kofi’s higher agitated tone.  That was odd, Jasper hardly ever asked for specifics on why Kofi was calling in, she always knew exactly why.  The thin woman glanced around the corner towards the front of the pizza shop to see a cop conversing with Kofi.  Cigarette smoke got caught in her throat for a second.

            _That’s not Jasper._

Pearl quickly coughed and took a swig from her water bottle to clear her throat before doing a double check.  Tall, dark skinned, black curly hair contained in a tight bun at the base of her skull, standard police uniform, sunglasses covering the top half of her face, utility belt, wide hips, powerful thighs, and toned arms crossed under a round chest.  Pearl lightly hit the back of her head against the brick and wondered how the fuck this was happening.  The booted approach of their soon to be tormentor only made Pearl want to scream out in frustration, but she settled for a snarl.

            “Excuse me, Miss…” the English accented voice trailed off.

            The thin woman saw the officer standing off to their side in her peripherals, arms still crossed, and an ever so serious expression carved into her face.  A heartbeat later the officer continued.

            “Misses, I am here to ask you to leave peacefully, the shop owner Mr. Pizza has complained about both of you loitering on his property and disturbing his business.”

            “Woah, you’re not Jasper, who the fuck are you?” Amethyst bust out, turning to face the unfamiliar cop.

            “Officer Garnet Bailey.  What is yours?”

            “Amethyst Conductor of the Poop Train,” the teen smirked as she put her hands on her hips and puffed out her round chest.

            “That’s an interesting last name.  Any relation to Amethyst Perez, who was reported skipping class today?  I’ve been told to be on the lookout for her.”

            The teen swallowed nervously and paled slightly.  “N-no, why?”

            Officer Bailey hummed and pulled out a piece of paper from her breast pocket, Amethyst’s year book picture printed onto it in color.

            “She looks a lot like you, down to the same eye and hair color.”

            “WHAT!?  Rude!  That’s not me, I swear, I’m just another pesky delinquent like this old lady,” she continued to object, motioning towards Pearl.

            Pearl made a tsk with her mouth.  “I’ll remember that remark the next time you ask for something.”

            “Aww, I was just teasing P!”

            “Regardless, I’m going to take you back to school, there’s still two hours left, plenty of time for you to learn something,” the officer spoke as she glanced at her wrist watch.  “As for you Miss-” she began turning towards the taller delinquent.

            “Peeeaarrrl,” the pale woman deeply moaned as she arched her back off the brick, hands gripping at the building, and rolling her eyes back for a brief moment before returning to her previous posture with a smirk on her face.

Amethyst just stared at her with her mouth hanging open before letting out a guffaw.  The dark cop visibly stiffened, the frown on her face deepening slightly.  For a whole three seconds she made no response.

            “I am well aware, Ms. Myers,” Officer Bailey’s voice was tight and controlled.  “Now, please leave the area.  I don’t want to issue you a fine or incarcerate you for the night.”

            “Go fuck yourself, I don’t want to hang around this shit hole anymore anyways,” Pearl growled as she pushed off the building and walked away.

            Amethyst watched her walk away before kicking one of the many cigarette butts lying around.

            “Welp looks like I better start walking, don’t want to miss any more _important_ school.”

            “No need,” the dark cop spoke up.  “I’ll give you a ride.”

            The short teen’s ears perked up.  “What?”

            “I can give you a ride, though you’ll have to be in the back.”

            “Really?” A wide grin spreading across Amethyst’s face.

            “Yeah, it’ll be faster than you walking back, less time wasted, more learned.”

            “Alright!  Peri is gonna freak when she sees me show up in this, are you gonna cuff me too?”

            “No,” the officer deadpanned as she opened the door to the back seat.

            “Aww, why not?” she complained as she scampered over.

            “Just get in.”

            “Fiiine.”

            Officer Garnet closed the door after reminding the plump teen to buckle up.  The cop car pulled away and drove off towards the nearby high school.

 

            Her mood had definitely taken a sour turn.  Pearl aimlessly walked the streets for the rest of the day, burning through the last of her cigarettes before the sun was even going down.  She rifled through her wallet, relieved that she had enough to buy more, and hopefully to last until Friday when she would get paid.  Long flat feet eventually carried her towards the quiet streets of the residential areas of Beach City.  Observant eyes noticed that a house that had previously been on sale for several months now had an unfamiliar car out front and a “SOLD” sticker covering the “FOR SALE” sign.  She frowned, and then climbed up a large maple tree across the street from the house, curious of who finally bought it.

            It wasn’t long until the figure from earlier emerged from the front door clad in a worn t-shirt, ripped jeans, old sneakers, and the same reflective, multicolored sunglasses with her afro out in its full squarish glory.  Pearl scoffed, of course _she_ would buy this house.  It was perfect for her.  A small two story house with a covered porch.  Light pink paint with white trim, neat white picket fence and perfect lawn.  It made her want to throw up.  She turned her attention to the now crouched figure gripping the “FOR SALE” post at the base with bare hands.  For a few seconds nothing happened until it was pulled out of the ground.  Pearl’s lip twitched.

            _It probably wasn’t in too deep anyways._

With mild disinterest, she continued to watch the dark figure speak with both of her neighbors about something probably very boring or introducing herself and being all proper.  The figure then retreated into the house as the sun was starting to make its way down towards the horizon.  Pearl looked away, rotating on the sturdy branch she was laying on so she could stare at the beginning of the sunset.  Her calculations estimated that she had about an hour and a half before the street lights would come on.  The abrupt sound of wood being effortlessly splintered and broken nearly shocked her out of the tree.  Pearl faced the house again only to see the new cop breaking down the white picket fence with a sledgehammer.  Light eyes refused to turn away from the sight.

            In minutes, trails of sweat glistened in the sunset on muscular arms and chiseled face as the figure continued to destroy the picket fence.  The t-shirt was soon tossed to the side to reveal a white tank top and even more dark, toned skin.  Pearl groaned as her eyes traced the hard lines of her deltoids, biceps, triceps, and the many forearm muscles.  When the sledgehammer was pulled back for another swing she could see the tank top get pulled tightly over the myriad of powerful back muscles.  Occasionally the dark figure’s lower abdomen, sides, and back could be seen when the white fabric would ride up.  The thin woman licked her lips without thinking.

            “Hot damn!” A voice sounded right next to her.

            Pearl whirled around, almost losing her balance out of the tree for the second time that day.  “What the fuck, Amethyst!” she hissed at the teen who had joined her in the tree.

            “I see why you can’t pull your eyes away, just look at how those jeans hug that ass of hers.  Damn, and those arms!  Fuck…”

            “Your commentary is not needed nor wanted,” Pearl growled.

            “I’m just stating the obvious,” the tan teen shrugged.

            “How’d you even find me here?”

            “It wasn’t hard, I just asked a couple of squirrels.”

            “Which ones?”

            “Oh the one that lives a block away, she said she saw you slouching by a couple of hours ago.  I was wondering why you were still here, but now I understand why,” her violet eyes going back towards the figure that was now using a shovel to remove the remains of the picket fence from the ground.  “Try not to call out her name too loud tonight when you masturbate, ok?” Amethyst teased as she descended down the tree and walked off laughing.

            The thin adult didn’t call out a response.  The last thing she needed was for Garnet to hear her.  A frown then carved itself onto her face as the realization hit her.  She was stuck in this tree until the dark woman went back into her house.  It was completely out of the question for her to be spotted spying on her.  Pearl slumped back against the trunk, eyes already returning to watch the athletic figure work on her yard.  There were worse things.

 

            Flat, worn shoes stomped out yet another cigarette as she tuned out the obnoxious voice of Kofi Pizza yelling at her once again to leave his property or he would call the cops.  Pearl rolled her eyes, she just got comfortable against the wall.  Amethyst wasn’t with her today to share in the frustration and it only got worse when the new cop Officer Bailey was the one who responded instead of Jasper.  She would have rather dealt with being yelled at by the huge buff woman with patches of white stripes on her tan skin, than deal with _her_.

            “Ms. Myers,” the low voice began, disapproval laced in heavily.

            Pearl turned and blew a long puff of smoke into the dark woman’s face.  The only reaction was her round nose wrinkling in distaste.

            “Ms. Myers,” Officer Garnet tried again, her voice strained.

            “Fuck. Off,” the delinquent replied as she shoved her middle finger in the cop’s face.

            She held it there as long as she could as she walked away.  A huff of smoke was let out as the thin woman began walking towards her next area she liked to hang out at, not bothering to look back at the officer to see her reaction.  Knowing Garnet, there would probably be none.  Before she reached the Big Donut, her phone began to buzz in her pocket.  She pulled it out, curious about who would be contacting her.

            Boss :P- [Get back here, you've got work to do!]

            The thin woman rolled her eyes and changed directions.

            Pearl- [Coming]

            Boss :P- [Eta?]

            Pearl- [Whenever I feel like it]

            Boss :P- [15 min if you want to keep your job]

            She didn’t reply, she just groaned and started speed walking.  Money was a necessity to maintain her apartment and buy cigarettes, and well, food.

 

            “What up Officer G!” Amethyst shouted and offered the woman a high five the next day the officer was called to chase the two delinquents away from the fry shack.

            “Just coming to offer you a ride back to school,” she partially smiled as she accepted the high five.

            Pearl just groaned and rolled her eyes.

            _Great now she’s getting all chummy with Amethyst._

“Will you turn on your sirens this time?”

            “No.”

            “What about handcuffs?”

            “No."

            “Aww c’mon you’re no fun, people at school aren’t going to think it’s as cool anymore,” the stocky teen whined.

            “Skipping and getting brought back by the police is not cool,” Garnet countered.

            “But!”

            “No, ‘buts’, get in, I’ll be back once I speak to Ms. Myers.”

            “Get off the wall or I’m going to fine you and incarcerate you for a night,” Pearl mocked in a deep voice while puffing out her chest and folding her arms.

            Amethyst bust up laughing.  Officer Bailey didn’t join in.

            “Fuck you,” the thin woman returned to her normal voice before flicking her cigarette butt at the officer.

            “YOU WISH!” the short teen called from the cop car.

            Pearl’s face turned scarlet and Garnet became visibly stiffer.

            “OHHHHH, YOU SO WANNA!”

            “Get in the car, Amethyst,” Garnet ordered.

            “Yes Officer G!” she mock saluted before sliding in and continuing her laughter.

            The dark woman turned to speak to Pearl again only to see the spot she was in earlier empty.  Covered eyes quickly found the thin woman walking away in the direction of the beach.  A heavy sigh was pushed past thick lips before she turned and got into the cop car.

            “You can totally tell she’s been-”

            “Amethyst, be respectful towards your elders,” the cop quickly cut her off.

            “Aww, don’t tell me you’re going to get all boring on me now are you?  It’s only been two weeks, you showed so much promise.”

            “I mean it, it’s not kind to tease people about stuff like that.”

            “Oh, c’mon Officer G, why not?  It gets a great reaction out of her.”

            “Expand your horizons, find other ways to tease her besides her intimate life.”

            The teen groaned and slouched in the back.  “Now you’re giving me homework?!”

            “I wouldn’t have given it to you if you had stayed in school.”

            “But then I would have gotten homework from school.”

            “Well now you get the best of both worlds.”

            “Ughhhhhh, I hate you,” came the drawn out whine.

            Garnet simply chuckled.

 

            Pearl stared at Amethyst in disbelief as the teen held a squirt top mayonnaise container in her hand, carefully aiming for her next victim as they sat high up in a tree.

            “This is so elementary,” the pale woman rolled her eyes.

            “Hey!  It’s ingenious, they freak out and run away because who wants to stand around and look up to the bird that’ll probably poop on them again?” she impishly grinned.

            “Absolutely, childish.”

            “Your loss.”

            A pink tongue hung out in concentration as the teen with silver colored, long hair aimed and then squeezed to send a few globs of mayonnaise down.  Pearl shivered just at the squelching sound the fatty substance made as it was forced out of its container.

            “Eughh!” came the cry below as the lanky male teen who worked at the doughnut shop jumped and flung off what he could of the white substance that came from above.

            Once he was out of earshot Amethyst bust up laughing.  Pearl just rolled her eyes and laid her stomach on the branch she was sitting on.  It was entertaining at least.  The next victim was a random middle school kid who ran off flailing his arms.  He was followed by one of the Pizza twins who simply gasped and checked to make sure the boxes in her hands were free of the contaminant.  Strawberry blonde eyebrows rose up as she spotted a certain someone walking in the path of the tree they were in.

            “Give it to me,” she demanded.

            “What why?” Amethyst protested.

            “Because I want to try it.”

            “But you said it was childish and elementary.”

            “Yes, so just give it to me already.”

            “Fine,” the stocky teen reluctantly surrendered the mayonnaise.

            Pearl sat up, grabbed the container and aimed.

            _Just a couple more steps…_

When her target was just a few feet from right below the pale woman squeezed with all her might on the container.  A thick stream of the fatty substance rained from above splattering all over the dark cop.

            “What the-!” Officer Garnet exclaimed as she quickly jumped back and flung some of the stuff off that had landed on her arms and hat.

            Pearl could barely contain her glee.  The officer swiped a sample of it and smelled it, sunglass covered eyes then turned up to look at the two high in the tree.  Pearl let out her laughter as she shoved the bottle into Amethyst’s hands.

            “It was her!  I swear.” Amethyst shrieked.

            Garnet frowned.

            “Dude P, that’s rude, at least take the blame.”

            “She already saw that I did it,” Pearl managed between laughs.

            The silver haired blonde glared at her.  “Oh SHIT!  She’s coming up!”  Violet eyes going as wide as dinner plates.

            Pearl glanced down to see the cop already half way up the tree towards them.

            “Oh shit…” she grimaced.

            The two delinquents attempted to move and climb higher, but Officer Garnet was on top of them in seconds.  Her fast hands snatched the mayonnaise from Amethyst and expertly closed the lid using a nearby branch.

            “I’m confiscating this,” her low accented voice stated.  “And you two are coming down the tree with me.”  She began her decent back down.  “And don’t make me wait!”

            After sharing a panicked look, Pearl and Amethyst climbed down the tree.  When they got to the bottom Officer Garnet was waiting, arms crossed and her weight shifted onto her left leg.  The two stared at the ground, not willing to meet the heavy disapproving gaze being leveled at them from behind the officer’s reflective sunglasses.

            “Is this really what you do?” came the scolding tone.  “Find new ways to pester and impede everyone who is trying to go about their days as peacefully as possible?  You’re better than this.”

            Amethyst looked up to object only to notice that Garnet was speaking directly to Pearl.

            “You’re 32 Pearl, is this really how you want to spend your life?”

            “Fuck off,” Pearl growled.

            “No, I’m not going to fuck off.  You need to shape back up, I shouldn’t be chasing you from one spot to another babysitting you and asking you to play nice with all the other kids.”

            “Don’t talk to me about growing up, Garnet.  Not all of us live the charmed life you do.”

            “You know better than to say that to me,” Officer Garnet stated darkly.

            Pearl scoffed and began to walk away.  The cop grabbed her wrist and stopped her escape.

            “I’m not done.”

            “Oh will you ever shut up?!” the thin woman snapped as she yanked her arm free.

            Garnet frowned.  “You’re better than this, you know it.”  She turned to address Amethyst.  “You’re better than this too.  Next year you’ll be a senior and before you know it you will be on your own trying to provide for yourself.  You have a good creative mind; you should put it to better use than pranks like this.”

            “You told me to expand my horizons,” Amethyst threw her hands up in frustration.

            “It’s a start, but try a different direction,” Officer Garnet stated with a slight smile.  “Stay in school, learn, and stop encouraging Pearl’s adolescent behavior.”

            “Excuse me?!? I’m older than you,” Pearl objected.

            “And right now you’re acting like a bratty teenager instead of the adult you are.”

            “I don’t have to listen to you.”

            “I would if I were you.  The next time you disturb the peace like this I’m taking you in, and for you Amethyst I will be calling your parents and having a long chat with them.”

            Pearl scowled and looked away.  Amethyst paled slightly.  With that final statement Officer Garnet turned and left.  The two delinquents began to slowly walk away, their Saturday fun spoiled for the time being.  After a couple of minutes, the plump teen spoke up.

            “So what’s your issue with her?”

            “What do you mean?” Pearl said as she took a long drag from her cigarette.

            “Like you’re never like this to Jasper, I get that she’s a new cop and everything, but it just seems a bit extreme.  Don’t you think so?”

            The pale woman snarled.

            “Oh c’mon, it’s been a month and you still won’t tell me how she knew your last name, and how you two act so familiar with each other.”

            Pearl slouched and frowned.  “We have history.”

            Amethyst’s eyes bulged out of her sockets.  “WHAAAT?!”


	2. Bus Stops and Rain Drops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't be including my usual markers for flagging more intense scenes, but if anyone asks me to I can easily add them on. Also, since this is a Bad Pearl fic, some of the character actions and behaviors will seem OOC, especially if you compare it to my previous work Champion.
> 
> /***On that note...this chapter is rated E for EXPLICIT!, NSFW***\
> 
> Also this chapter is in the past. FYI

^^^^^^

The distant beginning

^^^^^^

 

            Bus stops were convenient places for the lanky woman to loiter at.  If the police came to bug her she would simply state that she was waiting for the bus and then hop on the next one that came by.  This particular bus stop had a seating area with a pathetic covering overhead, but the perk was that not as many people came out to this stop as others, including the police.  She would watch the people come and go each day, making note of the regulars and their schedule.  It helped her constantly moving mind to have at least something to think about other than pondering the annoying questions about life.  Pearl wasn’t always there, she had a place to live, and a job to do.  There just was a decent amount of down time and this was how she preferred to spend it.  Thankfully none of the regulars had decided to try and strike up a conversation with her, she really did not care to speak to anyone.

            On a Thursday evening, Pearl was enjoying her solitude when a voice called out to her.

            “My name is Garnet, what is yours?”

            Her light blue eyes rotated in her skull to see one of the weekday regulars standing off to her side with her hand extended, expecting a handshake of some sort.  Pearl’s lip curled involuntarily.

            “Why are you talking to me?” the thin woman stated as she took a drag from her cigarette.

            The tall dark woman shrugged, still holding her hand out.  “Seen you here quite a few times, thought I’d introduce myself.”

            Pearl just glared at the woman until she chuckled and walked back to her previous seat.  Satisfied that no one was invading her bubble or trying to communicate with her, the pale woman resumed her previous calculations for her work that weekend.  When the next bus arrived the woman got on and disappeared.

            _Thank the stars._

            It was aggravating at the very least how her eyes quickly picked out the woman whenever she arrived at the bus stop every Monday through Thursday.  Always around 7pm, always letting her curly hair escape from the bun it was wrapped into, always so easy to see and always so easy on the eyes.  Pearl grumbled to herself and silently acknowledged the aesthetic beauty the dark woman possessed in her face.  There wasn’t much else the thin woman could see and form an opinion on since the tall woman was usually wearing a long coat.  In the days that passed since Garnet had introduced herself, Pearl was positive that the woman kept on moving her usual sitting spot a little closer to Pearl’s perch at the front right edge of the overhang.  The thin woman grumbled and slouched, she really didn’t want to have to find another place to hang out.

 

            Cold water ran down her face, down her back, in between her shoes and socks, soaking every inch of her shivering frame.  Pearl glared out at the dark grey sky as it continued to steadily rain down on the city.  The only thing mildly entertaining was the droplets of water falling off of her stringy strawberry blonde bangs.  Her attention was suddenly pulled back when the patter of rain against her head had stopped and the sounds of rain pelting a plastic fabric replaced it.  She glanced to her left to see that same woman from before casually holding a large maroon umbrella over both of them.  No words came from thick lips, only a small, warm smile that reached deep brown eyes.  Pearl simply slouched against the wooden post even more.  When the bus arrived a while later, the woman spoke up.

            “You could come home with me, dry off and warm up.”

            “No thanks, I’m not warming up with you,” Pearl muttered.

            A brief laughed escaped Garnet.  “I don’t mean it in that sense, you just look pretty cold and you still have to make it home.”

            “I’m fine,” the shorter of the two abruptly stated.

            The dark woman shrugged and stepped away to get on the bus.  “I hope you get home soon then.”

            Pearl rolled her eyes and scoffed, then frowned.  It had been nice to have not been rained on for that half an hour or so.  She sighed and stared up at the sky, blinking in frustration as the rain drops decided to _only_ land on her eyeballs.  Light blue eyes watched the red tail lights of the bus disappear into the grey mist.

 

            It rained yet again on Sunday and Monday of the next week.  Pearl was tired of soggy shoes, soggy pants, soggy cigarettes, soggy Pearl.  As she endured the steady downfall, her mind rolled around with other possible ideas of things she could do whenever it rained or snowed.  Then again, this was her spot, and she didn’t really like the idea of anyone else claiming it in her absence.  Rose’s words popped up reminding her that she was always welcome to hang out at the base even when she was not working on another batch.  That is what she had done for the first eight years of being under Rose’s wing, but lately she had been wanting to stretch her own wings and explore the city of Jersey more.  However, that exploring had quickly turned into moving from loitering spot to loitering spot and an insane amount of people watching over the past two years.  Maybe it was time she came back and spent more time with Rose, S, and everyone else.

            The pelting raindrops stopped yet again, pulling the thin woman’s attention to her current physical location.  Light blue eyes turned to see Garnet holding her umbrella over them with one arm while her other arm managed to undo the bun and release the wild mane of black curls she possessed.  She shook her head back and forth for a moment, letting out a satisfied sigh.  For a moment Pearl forgot to breathe.  A blush creeped on her pale cheeks and she quickly faced forward once again, determined not to get caught staring.  Out of the corner of her eye she saw a faint smirk appear on thick lips, she had been caught.  Thankfully, Garnet’s bus came before too long so she didn’t have to endure the silent standoff between the two of them.

            “The offer still stands,” the dark woman called back before she stepped on the bus.

            Pearl simply looked away and focused on a crack in the concrete sidewalk.  In seconds the bus was pulling away and Pearl was left to her soggy cigarettes.  This trend continued for the next couple of days.  Garnet would stand next to her and provide relief from the weather for the half an hour or so she was there, but then she would leave without saying a word.  On Thursday of that week, the thin woman was caught off guard when a familiar hand invaded the direct line of her vision.  Pearl looked up to see Garnet smiling at her and holding out a large, sturdy looking, baby blue umbrella for her to take, while the other held the usual maroon one.

            “It matches your beautiful eyes,” was all she said.

            “Thanks,” the words barely made it past her lips as frozen, shaking fingers took ahold of the umbrella, briefly coming into contact with the warm hand.

            Her face heated up as she tried to ignore the compliment.  They stood side by side until the bus arrived and the dark, mysterious, woman left once again.

            Pearl smirked as she made her way home, a small spring invaded her step as she stared up at the gift.  It warmed her up, for some reason, a simple act of kindness, and she couldn’t stop the smile from forming on her lips.

_She said my eyes were beautiful._

            Pearl giggled as she opened the door to her shared apartment.  After flinging off the water from the umbrella into the hallway, she stepped in and spun around with the pretend weapon.  Her lithe figure playfully fenced with an imaginary foe for a couple of seconds before a cough interrupted her.  S sat at the kitchen table with a steaming mug of coffee, staring at her with wide green eyes.

            “Wow, what was that?” her low astonished voice wafted through the air.

            “Nothing,” Pearl brushed off, her face heating up.  “Just getting all the water off my umbrella.”

            “And flinging it on everything else, geez, keep it from the TV next time, ok?”

            “Oh, it’s just fine,” the pale woman rolled her eyes.  “A few drops on the outside casing won’t hurt the thing.”

            “So, you finally broke down and bought an umbrella?  Got tired of drying your shoes out on top of the oven?”

            “It was a gift,” Pearl said quietly.

            “A gift?”  S sat back in her chair and examined the object.  “From who?  Rose?”

            “A lady at the bus stop.”

            “Tell me it wasn’t a grandma.”

            “It was not, she’s about 6’3”, rich ebony skin, deep brown eyes, a ridiculously square afro-”

            “Ok, I get it,” S held up her hand.  “You like her and she obviously is into you.”

            “Why would you say that?” Pearl asked as she took off her shirt and rung it out in the sink.

            “She gave you an umbrella.”

            “That proves nothing, she could have just been feeling charitable.”

            “Did she say anything as she gave it to you?  Or was it a drop and run?”

            Pearl pursed her lips and debated on telling her friend.

_Oh what the hell, what could it hurt?_

            “She said it matched my beautiful eyes,” she stated unenthusiastically.

            A slow clap echoed throughout the apartment.  Pearl scowled as she turned to face S as she continued to make the noise.

            “Do you really have to?” the pale woman pinched the bridge of her nose.

            S kept her deadpan face on and stared at her roommate as she kept on clapping.  Eventually she sped it up and lightly exclaimed,

            “Good job on finally realizing that she likes you.”

            “Oh hush, I knew that, I just didn’t feel like verbalizing it.”

            “Sooo,” S dragged out as she sipped at her hot drink.

            “So what?”

            “So what are you going to do?”

            “Nothing,” the thin woman stated as she put her shirt back on.

            “Nothing,” a brown eyebrow was raised, almost disappearing into pink, tousled hair.

            “Nothing,” Pearl restated as she lit a cigarette and walked out into the hallway.

            S shrugged lightly as she took another sip from her mug.

 

            Pearl really couldn’t deny that having an umbrella was definitely useful.  For the next few days she didn’t have to wring herself out every time she got home, though she still had to dry her shoes off on top of the oven.  Umbrellas aren’t effective tools to combat small rivers of water or larger than average puddles.  Garnet seemed pleased that Pearl was using it too, she would come and stand next to her with her maroon umbrella.  Her lame excuse was that the seats were too wet to sit on.  The thin woman didn’t mind; for once.  S’s statement of Garnet probably feeling something for her kept on jumping into her mind at an instant’s notice.  Pearl was caught staring at the dark woman more than once.  She was attracted to Garnet in a physical sense, but it evaded her why Garnet would have any sort of interest in her.

 

            Thursday had been promising.  It had been such a promising day, really.  The weatherman had been so insistent that it would be a break from the gloomy rain they had been having for the past week.  It had been a sunny break, up until 1pm; then the rain came.  Just as wet, just as grey, just as misery-inducing as before.  Pearl slouched against her post, clothes partially hanging and clinging to her frame as they were weighed down with water.  She had stupidly believed said weatherman and hadn’t brought her umbrella with her today as she walked around and made it to her spot.  The pale woman preferred to travel light.  By the time she bothered to consider going back to retrieve it, it was a useless idea and she was already drenched.  When Garnet arrived at the bus stop, the dark woman shared her umbrella once again.  Evidently, she didn’t believe the stupid weatherman.

            “I’m impressed you haven’t gotten sick from all the time you’ve spent standing in the rain,” the curly haired woman spoke.

            Pearl looked up at her, slightly confused as to why she was speaking.  “I have an immune system of steel,” she stated.

            “Really?  That is fortunate.  Do you remember the last time you got sick?”

            “Why would I choose to remember something like that?”

            A deep chuckle escaped the tall woman.  “It’s not something we intentionally remember, but some, like me, tend to remember.  I use it as a way to prepare myself against getting sick the same way twice.”

            “So what, you’re afraid of getting wet then?”

            “No,” Garnet smiled.

            When the curly haired woman didn’t provide any further explanation, Pearl let out a huff and looked out at the dreary world.  Before long Garnet’s bus would arrive and she would rejoin it.

            “My original offer still stands,” the low accented voice broke the pitter patter of the raindrops pelting the umbrella.

            The pale woman scoffed.  “Yeah, going to the house of a complete stranger, real smart.”

            Garnet shrugged.  “At least you know my name.  I’m the one inviting a complete stranger over.”

            Pearl caught the slight tease in her tone.  Her brain considered it.  By the stars she definitely was considering the offer.  She’d had enough of drenched clothes and the opportunity to get rid of that sooner than later was very appealing.  The screech of old brakes and the huff of hydraulics releasing their pressure signaled the arrival of the bus and the end of the timeframe she had to debate.  Garnet stepped toward the bus, turning to glance at her over her wide shoulders.

            “Last chance.”

            Pearl looked away, her feet rooted in place.  The woman turned and began to step onto the bus.

_Oh fuck it!_

            Pearl pushed off of her post with her butt and jumped onto the bus right before the doors closed.  The bus driver stared at her incredulously.  She produced her bus pass, swiped it, and then quickly made her way down the aisle.  Light eyes found Garnet regarding her with a smile and slightly surprised eyes.

            “Is anyone sitting here?” she tensely gestured to the empty seat next to the dark woman, subconsciously pressing her legs together.

            “Only you are.”

            Pearl sat down with a nod.  The ride was silent.  Thin legs bounced up and down in nervousness and impatience.  After several stops, Garnet pulled the line and the bus pulled over at the next stop.  They walked together for another block before a decent apartment complex came into view.  On the second floor on the left side Garnet unlocked the door to the apartment 216.  The pale woman followed inside after briefly panicking at her rash decision.

_This was really stupid, you’re gonna regret this.  She’s gonna be like some serial killer or crazy woman with a shit ton of cats._

            Pearl’s thoughts stopped as she stepped into the simple, neat, and clean apartment.  A couple of couches, a table near the small kitchen, a few family photos on the wall, a TV; nothing that screamed that this woman was a threat.

_Well that’s what she wants you to think._

            “This is a non-smoking apartment,” Garnet spoke up as she returned with a towel and large steel bowl.

            The thin woman inadvertently let her eyes roam the more exposed figure of her host.  No longer shrouded in the large, bulky, black trench coat, the woman’s curvaceous figure was easily seen in the simple t-shirt and khakis she wore.  Light blue eyes quickly traced where Garnet’s line of vision was.  She looked down to see her hands in the process of reflexively pulling out a cigarette.  A painful smile was plastered on her face as she put it away.

            “Right,” she put up her hands.

            “This is for your wet clothes,” the dark woman explained as she handed her the bowl.  “And this is for your feet and part of your legs.  Once you get into the bathroom I’ll give you another.”

            “Ok.”

            “Go ahead and kick your shoes off to the side, I’ll get those drying.”

            Pearl removed the soggy flats and her socks.  She wiped herself down as Garnet wrung out the shoes and placed them on top of the oven and turned it on.  The pale woman made her way into the only bathroom and shut the door behind her.  A knock echoed on the wooden door a couple of minutes later as she struggled to remove the clingy material of her jeans.

            “Something to change into and a towel for after your shower.”

            “Shower?” Pearl asked as she opened up the door a tiny crack while covering her body with the towel she already had to receive the items.

            “It’s a great way to wash away the cold.  You can use my stuff, if you’re comfortable with that.  Sorry I really don’t have more generic toiletries to offer guests,” Garnet explained through the now closed door.

            Pearl didn’t give a response.  After finally stripping down and drying off, she chanced to look at her options.  The bathroom was sparse and only the essentials were in existence.  Evidently Garnet was a fan of Old Spice.

            Several minutes later after a nice warm shower the thin woman stared at herself in the mirror.  The supplied sweatshirt and pants were not anywhere near her size.  She was swimming in the shirt and the pants had the string pulled as tightly as possible and tied into a knot so that it wouldn’t fall down.  Pearl pushed the sleeves up to her elbows and tousled her drying hair before unlocking the door and stepping out.

            “Washer and dryer are in the closet on your right,” the familiar voice called from the single bedroom.  “I set out some tea and coffee options, and there’s hot water on the stove.  You can make something if you’d like.”

            Pearl threw her clothes in and started the cycle.  It would be another hour before her clothes would be ready.  A shiver crawled up her spine.  Despite the warmth now encompassing her outer skin her insides still felt deeply chilled.  The guest curled up on the couch and held the green tea she had made as her host took a shower.  She was definitely not thinking about what Garnet might look like with less on and water running down her body.  Pearl pressed her thighs together and leaned back into the comfortable piece of brown furniture.  She wasn’t sure yet if she’d made a good decision.  So far it was looking like Garnet was safe, but it was probably still a bad idea to come.

            “How are you doing?” Garnet inquired as she stepped into the living room wearing a tight t-shirt and a pair of black sweatpants a few minutes later.

            The strawberry blonde swallowed thickly as she took in the sight; full chest, flat stomach, thin waist, wide hips, and obvious definition in her shoulders and arms.  Pearl pressed her legs together even tighter.  Her body was bounced slightly as Garnet plopped onto the other side of the couch; arms spread across the backrest.

            “I’m still a little cold,” Pearl said carefully, looking away from the tempting figure; rolling her tongue around in her noticeably dryer mouth.

_What am I doing?!_

            “Where at?”

            “My core.”

_Did I just…oh fuck it._

            “Really?  I can get you a couple of blankets.”

/***

            Before the taller woman could stand up, Pearl set down the cup of tea, straddled Garnet’s wide thighs, grabbed her angular face, and crashed their lips together.  At first Garnet didn’t react and Pearl sincerely hoped she hadn’t jumped to too large of a conclusion.  Thick lips moved against hers as large hands gently pulled her flush against a firm body.  In moments tongues were sliding against each other in an unfamiliar dance as the two began to explore the other.  Liquid fire coursed through the cold woman’s body effectively melting the frost residing in the marrow of her bones.  They separated to catch their breath; foreheads touching and hot pants escaping into the shared air between their faces.

            “This wasn’t my reason for inviting you over,” Garnet said between breaths.  “Don’t feel obligated to do anything you don’t want to do.”

            Pearl stared down into her blown out brown eyes.  She leaned forward to engage, but Garnet gently stopped her.

            “I’m serious.  We don’t have to do anything.”

            A lanky hand roamed to the front of the dark woman’s t-shirt neckline and pulled it down as far as it would stretch.  Pearl pressed light kisses from the top of Garnet’s sternum, all along her throat, and up to the bottom of her chin, the other woman leaned her head back in the process and let out a low groan.  A smirk graced thin lips as she moved to her ear.

            “I want to,” she whispered breathily; her hips rolling forward against Garnet’s taut abdominals for emphasis.  “Besides,” Pearl sat back on her lap to make eye contact with the woman.  “It’ll be an effective way to warm up, for the both of us.”

            Garnet swallowed.  A dark hand cupped her cheek and guided her down for a kiss.

            “I can’t argue with that logic,” she spoke against Pearl’s lips.

            The pale woman took advantage of the opportunity and slipped her tongue in, kicking the simple kiss up a couple of notches.  A hand glided down and grabbed her small ass in response.  As they continued to make out the hand moved so Garnet’s sturdy fingers were pressing against Pearl’s slit.  The woman moaned and pushed back on them, trying to get them closer to the need building in her core.  Garnet pulled away for a moment.

            “Let’s move to somewhere more comfortable.”

            With that she stood up, easily carrying Pearl in her current position, and walked back towards the bedroom.  Pearl busied herself with finding any and all sweet spots Garnet had along her neck and collarbones.  Her back was laid against soft fabric and a surprisingly firm mattress that only gave slightly at their combined weight.  The dark woman’s body pressed down against Pearl’s, pushing the smaller woman’s legs apart even more with her hips.  Pearl pulled her in for another kiss as her fingers worked quickly to grab the end of Garnet’s shirt and pull it up.  Finally, she could feel the hot, muscular skin underneath her finger tips.  She worked her way up until she was trying to sneak under the bra the larger woman was wearing.  A low chuckle was made as Garnet sat back on her heels and pulled her shirt off the rest of the way.  Pearl bit her lip as her eyes feasted on the athletic body between her legs.  The toned woman smirked as she noticed Pearl’s reaction.

            “Like what you see?”

            “No,” Pearl frowned as she sat up.  “There’s too much clothing in the way,” she said as she reached around and unhooked the bra, throwing it off Garnet as quickly as possible.

            Soft breasts were released into the pale woman’s waiting hands.  She rolled her thumbs across hardening peaks and placed kisses along the top.  The dark woman remained seated on her heels as she enjoyed Pearl’s ministrations for a little bit, her chest rising and falling with her heavy breaths, before pushing Pearl back against the bed.

            “You have too much on,” her husky voice whispered into Pearl’s ear as she nibbled on her ear lobe.

            Large calloused hands pushed the oversized sweatshirt up and over the thin woman’s head.

            “No bra?” came the teasing comment.

            Pearl glared at her.  “I couldn’t fit in any of yours.”

            Garnet smiled and then trailed kisses down Pearl’s neck as her hands gently massaged her small pert breasts.  The small woman moaned into the air, her body eating up every second of the sensations washing over her.  Her core ached and demanded release.  She pushed her hips up, bucking them against the wider ones in between hers, trying to call the woman’s attention down to where she really needed her.  Thick lips moved to take one of her breasts into her mouth, wet tongue swirling around her nipple and driving her crazy with need.

            “ _Ah!_ ”

            Hands ever so slowly made their way down her thin frame until they came to the waistband of her borrowed pants.  They traced circles into her hip bones as Garnet moved to give some attention to her other breast, sucking, lightly biting, and slowly turning Pearl into a disheveled mess.

            “You’re still wearing too much,” came Garnet’s deep accented voice.

            Pearl’s breath was caught in her throat as she stared into deep, lust filled, brown eyes.  Garnet lowered her head and trailed hot open mouthed kisses down her torso, steadily making her way down towards her core.  White teeth gripped the knot in the pant string and pulled it apart.  The muscular woman looked up at Pearl again, maintaining eye contact as her hands pulled the sweatpants down, letting her hands run across her ass, down the back and sides of her legs, all the way to her ankles as she removed the grey article of clothing.  Pearl lay there panting heavily as the cool air swept past her heated, wet core.  Her hips bucked once again, pleading for attention.  Pearl’s eyes widened as she caught the slight smirk in swollen thick lips.

            “Don’t you dare say-!”

            “No panties either?” came the tease as a thick eyebrow was raised.

            “Fuck you,” Pearl groaned as she rolled her eyes.

            Brown eyes slowly traveled down her naked body, tracing every peak and dip, every curve and line.  Garnet breathed out heavily.

            “My stars you are beautiful,” she whispered, laced with a barely suppressed groan.

            The pale woman blushed.  A strong hand took a hold of her right ankle and brought it up to thick lips.

            “Gorgeous,” Garnet said as she placed a kiss on the inside of her ankle.

            “Breathtaking.”

            A light suck on the inside of her knee.

            “Stunning.”

            A firm nip on the inside of her upper thigh.  Pearl arched her back and bit her lip in frustration.  If she needed to beg, she would, this woman was torturing her.  Strong hands gently pressed on the insides of her legs and spread them apart as far as it was comfortable for her to go.  Her center was spread open, slick with her juices, ready to finally receive proper attention.  When no further movement was made Pearl opened her eyes to see Garnet staring seriously at her.

            “Are you positive want me to?”

            “My stars yes! Please just fuck me already!” she shouted out.

            The dark woman lowered herself down.

            “With pleasure.”

            A thick moan escaped Pearl’s lips as Garnet’s tongue ran the length of her exposed core.  Her back arched as Garnet teased her opening and then began to suck on her clit.

            “ _Unh!_ ”

            Hips were held firmly in place as Garnet continued to work on her, sucking, rolling, and diving her tongue in to taste her as deeply as she could go.  Pearl was a mess, her hands finding purchase on the damp thick curls that adorned Garnet’s head, not letting go for a moment lest the woman decide to suddenly stop.  Oh she was good; she was very good.  Pearl pulled Garnet closer as she was nearing her release.  Back arched, toes curling, legs pushing against the solid arms keeping her relatively still.  She felt Garnet expertly roll her tongue across and around her clit before sucking on it with her lips.  Pearl’s grip tightened.  Tongue darted inside her, moving around, then retreating to only work over her swollen nub yet again.  Her face scrunched up as she could feel herself almost there.  With only a few more moments of Garnet’s skilled mouth on her core, Pearl came with a loud cry, her body tensing, eyes rolling back, and stars dancing in her line of sight.   Pearl slowly melted into the mattress as her orgasm ebbed off, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she attempted to catch her breath.  Garnet remained busy between her legs licking her clean and helping Pearl ease down from her high.  The dark woman sat up and looked at Pearl, obviously enjoying the sight of her being unraveled at her handiwork.  The slick of Pearl’s juices glistened on the lower half of Garnet’s face.  She licked her lips in satisfaction.  Light blue eyes traveled up the defined arms braced on either side of her and down the powerful body displayed before her, stopping and narrowing in frustration as her gaze noticed something.

            “How the fuck are you still wearing pants?” she demanded.

            Garnet lightly laughed, shrugging with one shoulder.  “You were the one needing to be warmed up, it’s only fair that the attention was on you.”

            “Well I-” Pearl’s sentence was cut off as she failed to prop herself up on her elbows.

            She fell back onto the bed; evidently, she needed to recover a little more.  A heavy breath escaped her thin swollen lips.  They stayed in that same position for a couple of minutes.  Just as Pearl felt ready to sit up and give the other woman a piece of her own work, two round fingers began to steadily trace her opening, dipping in only a couple of millimeters before pulling back out and circling the edge again.  Pearl looked up at Garnet only to see her staring at her with half lidded eyes that told her she was not done with her.

_What did I get myself into?_

            Pearl swallowed and sat up only to have Garnet push her two fingers inside of her slowly.  Going deeper until she was at her knuckle.  The pale woman dug her dull fingernails into Garnet’s shoulders as she sat on the dark woman’s hips; a shuddering breath escaping her.  Garnet pulled her fingers out at an even pace and pushed them back in, continuing to repeat the motion over and over.  Pearl felt her neck and throat get attacked with firm bites and sucks, driving her mad with desire.  A high pitched whine came from her as the dark woman found her g-spot.  Pearl dug her hands harder against Garnet’s back and scratched her.  Hips rolled to the rhythm of Garnet’s fingers as they moved in and out of her.  She kissed and sucked on every inch of Garnet’s sweaty skin she could reach as she was steadily worked towards her second climax.  Undignified gasps and pants rolled off her tongue.

_Oh my stars…_

            Their lips were locked together in a heated kiss as Garnet’s fingers quickened their movements and her thumb began to press down and massage the pale woman’s swollen clitoris.  Pearl gripped the sides of Garnet’s strong jaw with desperation as her core tightened.  She came like before, tensing up, arching, and crying out.  As her mind slowly came back to reality, she could still feel the fingers moving in and out of her tenderly.  Pearl straightened her posture from where she was leaning against the strong woman’s chest.  Garnet removed her hand to lick up the juices on her palm and fingers.  The thin woman weakly turned and pushed the atheltic woman down so she was laying on the mattress.  She hovered over the dark woman for a second before her arms and legs gave out and the landed on the firm body beneath her.  A low chuckle rumbled from Garnet’s chest.

            “You don’t have to return the favor if you’re too exhausted.”

            “Just give me five minutes,” she mumbled from where her head was nestled between the larger woman’s breasts.  Quite a comfortable spot if Pearl was being honest with herself.

            Garnet wrapped her arms around Pearl and softly traced random patterns into her bare back as they lay there together.  It was soothing and nearly put Pearl to sleep, but she was a woman of her word, she wasn’t going to leave until she had made the other woman writhe with pleasure.  She raised herself off of Garnet.

            “You ready to-” the dark woman’s words were cut off as Pearl crashed their lips together, quickly taking control of the deep kiss.

            “I’m ready to make you scream,” she dangerously whispered into her ear before tracing the top of it with her tongue.

            Teeth bit down on the corner of Garnet’s jaw almost hard enough to break the skin.  She then began to suck on the same spot as her hands fondled round, soft breasts.  Pearl worked down with her lips and teeth, hitting each area that had made Garnet groan earlier.  She took one breast into her mouth and ran the broadside of her tongue across the firm nipple before biting down softly on it.  Garnet arched into her ministrations; a silent moan slipping past parted lips.  Pearl moved to the other side, treating it with the same care as the other.  When she felt Garnet was ready, she sat back and pushed her hand between the woman’s legs.  Garnet’s hips jumped, pushing forward against the hand that was now firmly stroking her.

            “Do you want me to?” Pearl asked.

            Garnet quickly nodded, biting her lower lip.

            “Are you sure?” she questioned as she pushed harder against her with two of her fingers.

            The woman fervently nodded.

            “Are you certain?”

            Another nod.

            Pearl leaned forward, increasing the pressure of her fingers.

            “I need to hear it from you.  Tell me you want me to fuck you,” Pearl quietly demanded as she stared the other down.

            Garnet reached up and grabbed her face, kissing her furiously before moaning breathily into her ear.

            “Please fuck me.”

            That was all Pearl needed.  She briefly kissed her in reply, before sitting back.  The pale woman ran her dull fingernails down Garnet’s front, enjoying every movement under her fingers and every expression that was made on the woman’s face.  Pearl grabbed the waistband of the sweat pants, pulled them off, and threw them off to the side.  Garnet now lay before her in only a small pair of black panties.  The thin woman groaned at the impressive muscular structure of the woman’s legs.

            “You must train a lot,” Pearl commented.

            “I do better in my job if I’m fit, plus it also has nice benefits in all aspects of my life,” Garnet halfway grinned.

            Pearl laughed as she grabbed the panties and removed them from Garnet’s body.  One touch on the middle part told her that they were soaked.  She regarded the finally naked woman with a smirk and a raised faint eyebrow.

            “Calm and collected exterior, but this tells me how bad you’ve wanted it,” she taunted her as she dangled the article of clothing off of one of her fingers in front of Garnet.

            She tossed the small garment over with the pants and pushed the ripped thighs apart wide enough so that Garnet's lower lips opened up.  Pearl bent down and softly bit the inside of one thigh before moving the to the other side and doing the same.  With each bite or kiss on the thighs she would move a couple of inches closer to Garnet’s hot core.  The larger woman’s frustration at Pearl's pace was evident in how she would grip the comforter and throw her head back as she tried to suppress the sounds of her pleasure.  Pearl finally reached the center and ran her tongue carefully along the edge of it, making sure not to get either her core or her clit.  An aggravated grunt came from the dark woman.  The pale woman smirked before applying pressure to her clit with her tongue.  She traced random patterns around the nub as it swelled from the attention.  Lanky hands roamed back and grabbed Garnet’s generous ass, massaging and scratching it lightly.  After testing the woman’s opening with her mouth, Pearl slid two fingers inside of her and began to steadily pump them in and out.  Garnet groaned deeply at the simultaneous work of Pearl’s mouth and hands in her center.  A large hand gripped the back of her head and raked her fingers through short strawberry blonde hair.  The thin woman could tell by the firm tugs on her hair that Garnet was getting close.  She sped up the pace of her fingers, pushing deeply while torturing the swollen clit with her skilled tongue.  Strong thighs pressed against the sides of her face as her walls tightened around her fingers and Garnet cried out into her hand as she came hard.  Pearl didn’t stop or slow down until her orgasm had been completely rode out.  The thighs relaxed and fell away from the sides of Pearl’s face.  The thin woman placed a soft kiss on the clit she had worked over before crawling up to see Garnet’s dazed face lolling off to the side; her chest rising and falling with her rapid breaths.  A smirk of triumph crossed Pearl’s features.  Garnet eventually turned to face her.  She smiled and pulled her in for a slow kiss with one hand while the other pressed their naked bodies together.  Pearl melted into it, enjoying the tender affection.  They both parted and laid on the bed together for a few minutes.  Pearl couldn’t help the smile on her face when she heard Garnet’s content sigh.  With the tip of her pointer finger she traced idle lines on one of the dark woman’s arms.  She knew she wasn’t done for the night and neither was Garnet.

***\

 

            Pearl awoke from a brief slumber with a start.  She looked around at her surroundings, letting the events of the past few hours come back to her.  With a gentle push she moved away from the warm embrace of Garnet’s strong arms and sat on the edge of the bed.  Her clothes and shoes were definitely dry by now.  She stretched her tired limbs and stood up, her legs trembling slightly at first.

            “You’re leaving,” came the low, surprisingly awake voice from behind her.

            “Did you honestly think I would stay?” Pearl stated, a hint of a scoff in her tone.

            “No.”

            Pearl nodded.

            “But one can always hope you’d want to come back.”

            She scoffed for real this time.  “I’m going to get my things and leave, it appears it has stopped raining for now.  This was fun.  You certainly did help me warm up.”

            The pale woman glanced back to see Garnet smiling softly.

            “You can take a shower before you go,” the reclined woman offered.

            Pearl considered it.  “I’ll just use the bathroom really quick.”

            Garnet shrugged.  “You never told me your name.”

            Pearl laughed as she walked out of the bedroom.  “And you won’t need to know it, this was a onetime thing.”

            The short haired woman didn’t bother listening or looking to see Garnet's reaction.  She collected her clothes and belongings, went the bathroom, dressed, and then walked out the front door without another word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp there you go! The interesting beginning of Pearl and Garnet's relationship.


	3. Starting Something Simple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are still in the past for this chapter!
> 
> This chapter does contain a short /***Explicit Section***\ in this one, but mostly another step into the beginning of the past.

^^^^^^

Pearl and Garnet come to a mutual understanding.

^^^^^^

 

            “Where have you been?!” S shouted at Pearl the instant she arrived at her apartment around 4am in the morning on Friday.  “We have been worried about you, Rose has been out driving around at all of your spots, why didn’t you respond to any of our texts or calls?!”

            “I was busy,” Pearl shrugged as she took out a cigarette and lit it.

            “Too busy to tell us that you’re ok or that you didn’t get kidnapped or died from exposure?”

            “Look I _was_ pretty busy, I wasn’t exactly in the best situation to text you what I was doing.”

            “Well, what were you doing?” S crossed her arms over her round chest and waited expectantly.

            “A well-built, gorgeous woman.”  A smirk formed on her lips as her mind recalled just a handful of the sights, sounds, and sensations of that night and morning.

            The tousled pink haired woman looked at her funny for a solid moment.  “Wait what?  Doing a well-built, gorgeous woman…you mean the woman from the bus stop?!  You fucked with her?”

            Pearl rolled her eyes.  “Yes!  I went home with her and we fucked each other until we were satisfied.  That’s what I was too busy doing to tell you where I was, ok?”

            S frowned.  “Dude, that’s not safe, she could have been really dangerous, she could have killed you or something.”

            “I’m not completely defenseless,” the pale woman growled.

            “I know, but you don’t know her, anything could have happened.”

            “Well nothing did happen, except for us banging each other, ok?  I’m fine, look, all my limbs and organs are here and I’m feeling great because I just had some great sex.”

            “You don’t have to get all defensive, we were worried about you.  Next time just shoot us a text on where you’re going and who’ll be with so we don’t freak out if you don’t come home when you normally do.”

            “Fine!  But it’s not going to happen again, it was a onetime thing,” Pearl rolled her eyes as she exhaled smoke into the air.

            “Well if it happens again with some other random person, let us know so we know where to go and who to beat the shit out of if you get hurt, ok?”

            A small smile briefly appeared on the pale woman’s lips.  “Thanks.”  She turned and walked towards her bedroom.  “I’m going to get some sleep before I head over to the base, don’t want to mess up my measurements due to fatigue.”

            “I’ll let Rose know,” S smiled.  “Sweet dreams.”

            Pearl flipped the wider woman off as she shut the door to her room.

 

            By 10am Pearl was up and drying off from a shower before she was going to head out to the base.  She looked over her pale skin and grimaced slightly at the number light marks and darker hickeys concentrated around her neck, thighs, and breasts.  Pearl ruffled her hair with her old towel, scrubbing out the memories trying to resurface.  She was done with Garnet, she had scratched the itch with the dark woman instead of having to do it herself.  That was it, nothing more than a night of sexual pleasure with a willing participant.  Pearl pulled on her usual clothing; light blue t-shirt with a smiley face that had x’s for eyes, worn jeans that were rolled up to mid-calf, and her trusty leather jacket.  On the weather app on her smart phone she checked the forecast for the day.  The idiotic weatherman was promising clear skies with possible showers later on.  Pearl sighed and grabbed her umbrella as she walked out of the apartment.  She wasn’t taking any chances today.

            The pale woman hopped on the necessary busses to get close to the base and then walked the rest of the way towards the old abandoned apartment building.  Pink, rose bushes grew all around the building and partially up the walls, providing some life in the dead looking place.  Several windows were broken, the walls had cracks running all over them like spider webs, and the paint peeled off the rotting wood like bark falling from eucalyptus trees.  Pearl smiled and walked up to the side door, knocking twice.

            “Healing Tears,” she whispered into intercom.

            A faint click was heard and the door was opened by Chuck, the usual guard.

            “You’re alive, good to see that,” he smiled.

            “Is everyone going to act like that today?” Pearl scowled as she took a quick drag from her cigarette.

            “Rose was pretty worked up, a few of us were out searching actually,” he added as he closed the door behind her and locked it.

            “Next time I’ll tell Rose to not get so worried.  I can take care of myself.”

            “We know,” he shrugged, “we just care, besides you’re also kinda hard to replace.  I mean we have all your instructions and ratios, but you make it much better than any of us.”

            “I know.  Is Rose in her office?”

            “Yes.”

            “Thanks.”

            Pearl ran up a few flights of stairs, stopping one floor down from the Rose’s office to catch her breath.  It was getting harder to do this, maybe she should slow down on how much she smoked a day.  She shook her head and walked the rest of the way up.  As she neared the open door she could hear S and Rose’s voices talking about the upcoming orders that still needed to be filled and the stock they had for both finished product and materials to make more.  Pearl rapped her bony knuckles against the door, announcing her arrival as she walked in blowing out a puff of smoke.

            “How much do I need to cook?” she inquired of the two pink haired woman.

            Rose turned around and beamed as she rushed forward and engulfed Pearl in a crushing hug.  Rose, the leader of the Rose Thorns, a gang in control over the northern area of Jersey, was a large woman.  Six foot eight, not including the height gained by her thick hair made of pink ringlets, full lips, curvaceous figure that could easily break a door in two, dark eyes filled with mirth and joy, and smooth, light skin.  Today she wore a white tube top and grey slacks.  When the large woman eased off on the pressure of the hug, Pearl melted into it, returning the gesture.  Here was her home, her family.  Rose released her and cupped her cheek, tilting her head up so she could look the thin woman in the eyes.

            “I was so worried about you!  But you’re alright and I’m glad to see that.  Please don’t do that to me again, Pearl.  When S called reporting that you hadn’t come home yet I feared the worst.”

            Pearl helplessly smiled and leaned into the warmth of her hand.  She really could never be mad at Rose for caring.

            “I’m sorry for causing so much trouble Rose, I’ll be sure to send a message or something if that ever happens again.”

            “Thank you,” the leader leaned forward and kissed Pearl on the cheek, leaving a small smudge of pink lipstick.  Her eyes widened as she noticed the marks on the pale woman’s neck.  “Oh?!  What’s this?” she asked as she turned Pearl’s head so she could see them clearer.

            Pearl blushed heavily and pulled away, tugging the popped collar of her leather jacket around her neck to cover them up.

            “N-nothing,” she stuttered.

            “That’s not nothing,” Rose grinned, wiggling her eyebrows.  “I take it you had a good time then?”

            “Yes,” Pearl coughed.  “So how much do I need to work on making?”

            “I’m happy for you,” the large woman stood straight.  “As for our remaining orders we need to work on our monthly delivery to our big customer, and a few remaining local deals.  Here is the breakdown of what we need and what supplies we currently have.  Is there anything we need to get so you can fill the orders?”

            The pale woman took the small sheet of paper and looked it over, quickly calculating the necessary ratios of the various inputs to create the desired end product.

            “I’m going to need more red phosphorous, lithium, and acetone.  I’ll go run the actual calculations and give you a grocery list.”

            “You can give that straight to S, she’ll make sure you get everything you need.  After that go ahead and get started on what you can make with the supplies we do have,” Rose delegated.  “I have a few errands to take care of today, mostly getting ready to deal with the Dumpster Jumpers later on tonight about distributing the now open territory due to the sudden demise of the Soup Bowlers.”

            “Would you like me to come with you to that?” Pearl inquired.

            “Not this time, I want you to focus on cooking right now.  I’m sure there will be another meeting to finalize everything and I’ll want you there then.”

            The thin woman looked off to the side, trying not to show how put off she was by being kept from an important meeting with a rival gang.  She turned back and took a drag from her cigarette.

            “I’ll get to work then.”

            With that Pearl headed down towards the lab and began putting together the grocery list she was to give to S.

 

            Monday came faster than Pearl realized.  All weekend long she was working on large batch after large batch of her quality product.  It still blew her mind that their largest buyer had recently doubled her demand, putting it at 32kg instead of the usual 16kg.  However, that meant a lot more money for Rose and their gang, so she wasn’t complaining.  Pearl scratched her back against the wood post and sighed as she blew out cigarette smoke into the warm air.  Today had finally been that warm and sunny day that had been promised by the idiot weatherman several times.  The pale woman absorbed as much sunlight as she could, she loved the warm feeling of the sun on her skin, even if it always held the threat of getting easily burned.  She attributed this enjoyment of the warm rays to her usually colder body temperature.  Since she was so thin, it didn’t take much to get cold.  Light blue eyes caught sight of a familiar figure approaching the bus stop.  Brown eyes made contact with hers.  Peal nonchalantly looked away, she was _not_ going to give any sort of indication that she was thinking of the woman any more than she had before they had spent the night together.  The truth was she hadn’t, that much…Yes the images came whenever she noticed one of the marks on her skin or whenever that now persistent itch jumped to the forefront of her mind.  That was normal though, she just needed to wait out the next few days and her body would stop calling for it.

            When Garnet’s bus arrived, the woman walked past Pearl without making any attempt to communicate with her.  But as she stepped on she sent a look over her shoulder, catching Pearl as she was staring at the dark woman.  A small smirk quirked onto thick lips.  Pearl maintained her poker face until the bus had just barely driven off.  The thin woman inwardly groaned as the space between her legs pulsed and begged to be satisfied.  She pressed her thighs firmly together and willed it to stop.  It was ok though, she could make it through this, the next day would be easier and so would be the day after that.

            The next day was not easier.  Even though Garnet did not speak to her once again, just seeing the woman made Pearl want to kiss her and have her put her lips down where it had felt sooo good.  Yet the pale woman maintained her poker face.  On Wednesday, she already had her legs pressed tightly together as the dark woman walked past and stepped onto the bus.  The pressure was eased somewhat as she masturbated that night.  She fell asleep satisfied that she could get over this.  Whatever “this” was.

            Thursday quickly proved her wrong.  She leaned against her post staring in any direction except where the torment of her mind and core was sitting.  Pearl kept asking herself why?  Why wasn’t it getting easier?  What was it that was driving her mad about the woman?  Sure Garnet was good, but not so insanely good that she couldn’t find someone else just as experienced.  A word brought clarity to her mind.  Lust.  Fucking lust.  Pearl breathed out evenly into the cold moist air.  It hadn’t rained that day, but it had been overcast for the entirety of the waking hours.  With one hand she put out her cigarette while the other grabbed onto her umbrella.  There was only one thing she knew she could do, it was to fuck with Garnet until her lust was satisfied.  Then she could move on.  Luckily for the pale woman, the only two people currently at the bus stop were her and the dark woman.  She turned and quietly stomped over to where Garnet was sitting reading a sports magazine.  Pearl yanked it out of her hands and straddled her hips.

            “What th-”

            Garnet’s surprise was cut off as Pearl grabbed her face and forced their lips together, kissing her roughly.  The thin woman pulled back for a moment.

            “Just fuck me.  My stars just please do,” she practically begged before resuming the kiss.

/***

            After a moment, Garnet’s body relaxed and she enthusiastically returned the kiss.  Hands rested on Pearl’s hips; their tongues dancing together.  Slowly one hand moved to firmly grip her ass while the other moved to the front and undid the button and zipper of her jeans.  A huff of anticipation was forced through her nose as her hips rolled forward.  Garnet shifted their position so that there was more room to move.  Two fingers pushed away the wet piece of Pearl’s underwear and dipped into her aching core.  The pale woman moaned against thick lips and held onto strong shoulders with a vice-like grip.  She moved her hips along with the thrusts of Garnet’s fingers as they kissed each other breathless.  Pearl buried her face into the crook of the dark woman’s neck as Garnet applied pressure to her throbbing clit with her thumb.  Patterns traced around the nub along with the feeling of the fingers deep inside of her had Pearl gasping out in ecstasy before too long.  As she rested on Garnet’s chest the woman cleaned off her fingers and redid her zipper and button.

***\

            “My bus is just around the corner,” Garnet spoke into her ear.  “If you want to come with me I need to know one thing.”

            “What?”

            “Your name.”

            “You don’t need to know,” Pearl groaned.

            “I don’t, but I want to.  I want to know you.”

            The squealing of brakes and hissing let Pearl know the bus was there.  Garnet began to stand up causing Pearl to quickly hop to her feet, legs shaking slightly.  As the dark woman turned and began to walk away, the pale woman made her decision.

            “It’s Pearl.”

            Garnet looked back at her, one eyebrow raised up.

            “Well then Pearl,” she began, her English accent pronouncing her name in a way that made Pearl’s spine tingle. “Let’s get you warmed up,” Garnet finished as she took her hand.

            Pearl eagerly followed, her heart racing in her chest and a goofy smirk on her lips.

 

            A few hours later the strawberry blonde stared up at the dark ceiling as she breathed out heavily.  Her mind was still spinning from her latest orgasm.  Beside her Garnet was in a similar state, bare chest rising and falling rapidly as she recovered as well.  Pearl tried to sit up but her exhausted body fell back against the firm mattress.

            “Fuck,” she breathed out.

            A strong arm wrapped around her and pulled her back up against Garnet’s front.  Thick lips pressed a tender kiss on the base of her skull.

            “How are you doing?” the dark woman spoke into her ear.

            Pearl turned her head enough so she could get a partial look at the deep brown eyes watching her.

            “It’s about time I should probably head home.  Don’t want to worry my roommate too much.”

            “I thought you let her know where you were,” Garnet frowned.

            “I did, but I’m also exhausted, I’m just going to fall asleep right now.”

            “So fall asleep, I’ll join you.”

            “No,” Pearl finalized as she moved out of the hold and got off the bed.

            Garnet followed and tipped the thin woman’s head up for a quick kiss on the lips.

            “Is this a onetime thing?” the deep voice asked.

            The pale woman swallowed.  “I’m not done with you.  Once I am, it will be.”

            Garnet nodded in understanding before kissing her one last time.  Pearl gathered her clothes, used the bathroom, and left without much of a goodbye.  As she began the long walk home she sent a text to S letting her know she was on her way.

 

            It became a pattern from then on.  Whenever Pearl couldn’t stand it or whenever Garnet initiated it, the two would go to the taller woman’s apartment and get lost in their passion together.  Eventually phone numbers were traded.  After a couple of months, neither of them were tired of the other.  Pearl noticed, one early morning as she got ready to leave in the bathroom, that there was a second toothbrush in her favorite color, pink, and a tube of her preferred brand of toothpaste set next to Garnet’s.  Light eyes blinked for a second before her mind recalled Garnet asking her about her favorite color and the type of toothpaste she liked one evening a week or so ago.  The dark woman was prone to asking random questions of her, so she had thought nothing of it at the time.  It was a thoughtful gesture.  The pale woman smiled as she brushed her teeth.  As time wore on, Pearl did notice how much she enjoyed the praise and adoration Garnet would shower on her as they pleasured each other.  Having sex with the woman was certainly something else.  It lifted her for that time they were together, throwing her into a high that was better than any drug she had tried.  One time, Pearl found herself staying after they had worn each other out.  Waking up in Garnet’s arms in the light of the early sunrise had stirred something deep inside of her chest that practically sent her running out the door.  However, even with that mistake, it didn’t stop her for coming back for more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are going to be hoping back to the present next chapter. It will be a trend with the story, jumping from past to present until all the events of the past have been revealed and catch up to what is going on in the present.
> 
> A change of wording was made in how Pearl described Garnet to S, prompted by a conversation I had with one of my readers to get rid of any uncertainty on what Garnet was being referred to as.


	4. Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are back in the present!

^^^^^^

Officer Garnet receives several surprises as she is adjusting to her new friends and city.

^^^^^^

 

            Several satisfying pops came from Garnet’s neck as she tilted it from one side to the other.  She rolled her shoulders back and walked into the police station towards the end of her shift.  The dark woman approached her desk and sat down, taking note of the amber eyes following her.

            “You gave Amethyst a ride again today,” came the gruff statement.

            “Yes,” was her curt reply.

            “She’s just doing it for attention,” Jasper continued as she rifled through one of the metal filing cabinets.

            “I know, but it helps her get back to school faster.”

            “Psh.  How many times does that make it this week?  Three?  And a standard average of at least two.  She’s not learning anything.”

            “She is, I give her small tasks to complete and report on every time she rides with me.  Kinda like homework assignments,” Garnet countered as she began filing her report for the day.

            “And does she complete them?”

            “Most of the time.”

            Jasper scoffed and pulled out the manila folder she was looking for.  Her large frame strode over to her desk and plopped back in the rolling chair heavily.  Black combat boots were lifted up and rested on the desk.  Jasper Green was a marine that went into law enforcement after finishing her service time.  A solid and rule abiding captain that ran the station and all officers under her well.  The large muscular woman wasn’t always the most personable, but was definitely reliable and loyal.  She tipped her hat back as it sat precariously on top of the wild mane of sandy hair that was barely contained by the ponytail it was forced into.

            “Officer Bailey,” she opened the file and flipped through the papers.  “They weren’t joking when they said you liked to make friends with the troubled youth.”

            Garnet smirked.  “I don’t consider them that.  Just young people trying to figure out themselves and the world they are in.  A lot of them came from abusive environments and were seeking ways to let out their stress, others just needed a friend, others resorted to unhelpful methods and needed guidance.  I just wanted to be someone they could trust and come to for help.”  She rotated in her chair to look at Jasper.  “If they didn’t want me around they would have let me know.”

            Jasper raised an eyebrow.  “From the looks of it you were able to help quite a few of them, actually, but not all.” A frown ran across her face.  “You also have quite the record for finding and shutting down drug dealers.  I’m surprised the guys in Jersey wanted to transfer you to sleepy ol’ Beach City to be under my command.  From what I hear they could still use you up there.”

            Officer Bailey faced her desk, the smile on her lips disappearing.

            “It says that you were transferred to an area that was better suited for your abilities and limitations.  No complaints on not following rules or anything negative, well except for a tendency to overwork and become stubborn when on a case.  They just essentially said that you weren’t cut out for work in Jersey,” Jasper continued.  “That’s odd, considering you worked there for nearly ten years.  Mind shedding some light on that?”

            “My accuracy went down, and so did my endurance and speed,” Garnet tensely stated.

            The captain flipped through the folder.  She bust up laughing.  “It dropped a couple of marks, and your endurance and running is still better than well over three fourths of the Jersey police force.  Even on a bad day.”

            The dark officer said nothing in return, but just focused on finishing her reports.  Jasper sighed.

            “Well they are a bunch of shitheads, and I’m super lucky because they sent me a high quality cop who wants to turn all of my troublemakers into honor roll students,” she stated as she leaned back in her chair and folded her large hands behind her head.

            “Thank you Captain,” was Officer Bailey’s reply.

            Later, Garnet walked out of the station along with Jasper.  They were on the same 10-hour shift and the graveyard crew was already out and about.

            “How are you adjusting to here?  All moved in yet?” the taller asked.

            “It’s gone smoothly, these next couple of days I’m going to be working on repainting the exterior.”

            Jasper made a face.  “That’s going to take a long time with just you.”

            Garnet shrugged.  “I don’t mind the work.  It’s satisfying.”

            “Suit yourself.  Night Bailey.”

            “Night.”

            Black curls were released from their bun as Garnet stepped into her car and drove home.  Covered eyes widened slightly when they caught sight of a familiar car sitting in her driveway.  She cringed, she was not ready for them.  The tall woman braced herself as she opened her front door.

            “She could fit at least three more pictures on this wall!  Why is it so blank?  Does she not have enough family pictures?!” A short older woman in her fifties with mocha skin and a tangled mess of black curls stated as she stared at the “blank” wall with her hands on her hips.

            “Ruby,” came the lower calm voice from the equally short woman sitting on one of the barstools.  Long wavy black hair with blue highlights on the ends ran down her back and over half of the woman’s dark face.

            “I mean she has enough, right?  If not, I can send her a few more once we go back home.  I just don’t want our daughter sitting here in this dull house all by herself.”

            “Ruby…”

            “And she picked this one out of all the ones to display?”

            “It’s our most recent family picture.”

            “I know, but she’s wearing those glasses in it.  I like the other one better,” Ruby protested.

            “Hello Mums,” Garnet greeted the two women in her house.

            “Evening Garnet,” the one on the barstool smiled.

            “Your wall is blank!” the short curly haired woman pointed out, waving her hands at the wall.

            “The wall is how I like it,” Garnet stated.  “I don’t remember giving you two a key to my place yet.”

            “You did, right before you moved, you made a copy and gave one to us,” the sitting woman evenly stated.

            “And since it’s been three months, Sapphire and I decided it was time to visit and see how our little girl is doing in her new house and assignment,” Ruby explained as she walked over.

            Garnet leaned down to give and receive a kiss on the cheek.  Her other mother Sapphire appeared on her left side to exchange the same greeting.

            “I’m glad, I didn’t want to have to book my mothers for breaking and commenting on my decorating choices.”

            The two older women laughed.  Garnet straightened up and opened the basically empty fridge.

            “I wish you had given me a heads up that you were coming, I would have gone grocery shopping yesterday.  If you two are ok with waiting I can have something ready in a couple of hours, if not, I’ll take you both to one of the local restaurants.”

            “We’ll take you grocery shopping.  No daughter of mine will go hungry,” Ruby decided.

            “Mom, I can afford it, I just needed time to,” Garnet frowned.

            “Nonsense, you haven’t been able to come over for the weekly family dinner since you moved, it’s the least we can do.”

            Garnet turned to Sapphire in hopes of convincing her that she could buy her own groceries.

            “You still have time to offer to pay for dinner, but we are buying the groceries,” came Sapphire’s response before her daughter could utter a word.

            “Alright, fine.” The younger woman pinched the bridge of her nose.  “You buy groceries, but I am buying dinner for you both.  Let me go change and then we’ll head out.  How does pizza sound?”

            “Pizza will go well,” Sapphire smiled.

            In twenty minutes, the trio set off in Garnet’s car to Fish Stew Pizza.  Finding parking was relatively easy.  Covered eyes glanced off to the dark side of the restaurant where a lone figure was barely illuminated by the dim light of her lit cigarette.  The street lamp’s light crept around the lower level of the corner to show off the figure’s worn, faded blue flats and pale, thin calves.  Garnet focused her eyes forward.  She wasn’t on duty; the loiterer was not her problem.  Inside the restaurant, the warm scents of fresh baked dough, tomatoes, and cheese drifted through the small family’s noses.  Nanefua greeted them and Garnet introduced the older woman to her two mothers.  After a couple of minutes, they placed their order and the officer paid as Ruby and Sapphire secured a table.  Garnet was bombarded with questions from Ruby on how everything was going in her life while Sapphire listened to her responses with rapt attention.  Before long playful banter was exchanged back and forth as they all enjoyed the meal.

            With bellies full and a box to take home, they stopped by the local grocery store.  The tall woman did her best to limit her mothers to only buying what she needed, but they still added in things here or there that they knew were her favorites or were rarely purchased items.  Garnet chuckled, her mothers always went the extra mile for her.  It warmed her heart and as they left the grocery store she pulled them in for a tight hug and a sincere thank you.

            “I don’t have the guest room set up yet, but I have a queen sized blow up mattress, would that be acceptable for you both?  If not you can have my bed and I can take the couch,” the tallest explained as she put away some yogurt into the refrigerator.

            “The air mattress will be good enough for us; we’re not going to kick you out of your own bed,” Sapphire softly answered.

            “I don’t mind.”

            “I do!” Ruby pitched in as she placed a few boxes of food into the cupboard.  “I’m not sleeping in your bed, that’s your own business, and who knows, you could’ve had someone over recently.”

            “Mum!”  Garnet whipped around to face her, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.  “Even if I did, I would have taken care of everything afterwards.  I keep a clean house.”

            “It’s only been three months, the chances that Garnet has invited anyone over and engaged in physical intimacy is low, especially considering how things went with her last girlfriend,” Sapphire added.

            “Can we please not talk about this?” came the sigh.

            “You never want to talk about it,” Ruby frowned.  “How do you expect to move on if you won’t get it out of your system?”

            “It’s out of my system, I just didn’t want to go into the gory details with the both of you.”

            Ruby and Sapphire exchanged a doubtful look.  The long haired woman hummed seriously.  As Garnet set up the bedding for the air mattress Sapphire helped while Ruby finished bringing in their bags from the car.  Once the bed was made, Sapphire sat down and patted the spot next to her, wordlessly calling her daughter to join her.  Garnet sat down, slouching ever so slightly.

            “I know this move was unexpected and hard for you,” the older woman began as she carefully removed the sunglasses covering Garnet’s eyes.  “But you’ve come so far and done so well despite everything that has been pushing against you and been thrown at you.”  Dainty hands tenderly traced the area around the younger woman’s left eye.  “Don’t forget that.  And don’t forget how much we love and care about you.”  Sapphire pulled her down and placed a kiss on Garnet’s brow.  “We know you felt like there was so much more you could have done to help Jersey, but now you get to do that here in Beach City.  They need you, you wouldn’t be here if they didn’t.”

            Garnet sighed heavily and embraced her mother.  “Thank you, Mum.”

            “Those crooks better head for the hills now that they’ve got my daughter to deal with!” Ruby added, grinning widely in the dim guest room light.  “You’ll have ‘em all begging for mercy in no time.”  The curly haired woman plopped down on the other side of Garnet and joined the hug.

            The daughter chuckled and wrapped an arm around her.  “Thanks, Mum.”

            They sat there for a moment enjoying the time together.

            “How did you get so huge?  I feel like a small child compared to you,” Ruby playfully complained.  “Sapphy, we should have known the one we picked out would turn into this gigantic, buff, beautiful, hunk of love.”

            Sapphire giggled and reached across Garnet to intertwine her fingers with her wife’s.

            “I mean look at you!  How do you keep all of the women off of you?”

            Garnet laughed and shook her head.

            “Must be my terrible personality.”

            Ruby lightly punched her in the shoulder.  “Hey now!  What have I taught you about telling lies?  Have you learned nothing!”

            “I’ve learned plenty from you both,” Garnet smiled as she hugged her mothers one more time.  She stood up and turned to face them.  “How long were you planning on visiting?”

            The two parents exchanged a glance.

            “Just a couple of days, if that’s alright with you,” Sapphire stated.

            “You both are always welcome in my house.  Two days is no problem.  Just please give me a heads up next time.”

            “We will,” Ruby smiled.

            “Good night Garnet.”

            “Good night Mums,” the taller woman returned as she headed downstairs towards the master bedroom.

 

            A heavy sigh was silenced as Officer Garnet halfway listened to Kofi Pizza rant once again about Pearl loitering around his pizza shop and disturbing his customers.  When they turned the corner the woman was not at her usual spot, in fact it was empty.  One concealed eyebrow was raised up; Garnet’s full attention was now pulled to the task.

            “She was just here!  I saw it with my own eyes.” He placed his hands on his hips.  “Look!  A barely extinguished cigarette butt along with the dozens of filthy things littering the side of my nice place.  I would not waste your time with a false call.”

            Garnet frowned and looked around, smelling the air.  She knew the cigarette had to have been stomped out, at most, five minutes ago; the time it took for Kofi to make the call and for her to arrive.  A quick scan of the area showed a few areas to hide within a reasonable walking distance.  Pearl wouldn’t have run, or even jogged.

            “No you wouldn’t,” the tall officer finally spoke.  She took another deep breath.  The cigarette smoke was still fairly potent in the area, and didn’t seem to be really fading away, even with her crushing out the last bit of life from the one smoking butt with the toe of her boot.  Another slower scan was made.  “It appears she has left for the time being.  So we can be happy with that.”

            Kofi left out a huff and crossed his thin arms across his chest.

            “I guess so, but she will be back, you know that.”

            “There is nothing we can do about that right now, but there is something you can do for me.”

            “And what is that?”

            “Could I borrow one of your brooms and a dustpan?” Officer Bailey said with a small smile.

            The dark man was surprised.  “No need!  I’ll have Jenny come and sweep up this mess.”

            “I insist.”

            “Alright then,” Kofi shrugged.  “JENNY COME BRING OFFICER GARNET A BROOM AND DUSTPAN!” he ordered as he walked back towards the shop entrance.

            “Geez dad, I would have heard you even if you didn’t yell,” the teen complained as she walked out moments later holding the mentioned items.

            Garnet took them with a small thanks.

            “I swear he woke up the fish again…” Jenny sighed as she walked back in.  “Thanks Officer G, you’re super cool!” the teen finished with a wave.

            The officer silently swept up the various piles of cigarette butts.  Several small piles of longer butts that were most likely from Amethyst and a few larger piles of stubbier butts all from Pearl.  Her grip on the broom tightened.  It upset her whenever adults gave underage children things like this.  She had tried talking to both of them about it, but was met with a lot of resistance, and without solid evidence or a witness, she couldn’t really haul Pearl in for that.  Another deep breath was inhaled.  The smoke scent was still strong.  She also hadn’t really found it in herself to arrest the troublesome woman just yet for those crimes. 

            _They were right about me being too soft at times._

            Garnet looked up at the top of the pizza shop.  Every few seconds or so a barely visible puff of white smoke would come from the roof.  She timed it with her breathing.  Whenever she exhaled, the smoke appeared.  Eyes quickly analyzed the wall.  There were several bricks jutting out from the main group, potential footholds, and then there was the dumpster not too far away.  The loiterer had never left, she had just moved up.  Garnet frowned, Pearl had been much better behaved in the couple weeks following her lecturing her for the mayonnaise incident.  It was disappointing that it had only lasted so long.  Silently she slowly climbed up the side of the fifteen-foot wall and hoisted herself over.  Laying on the roof of the Pizza’s shop was none other than Pearl Meyers, absentmindedly smoking a cigarette and staring up at the cloudless blue sky.

            “Miss Meyers,” her voice came out with more of a growl than she had intended.

            Faded light blue eyes snapped down and narrowed at her.

            “Oh you’re here?”

            “You’re trespassing.”

            “His customers can’t see me, this is the perfect solution.”

            “You can still smell it and this is trespassing.”

            Pearl rolled her eyes.  “Smelled it?  What are you like some drug dog or something?”

            “No.  It’s not that hard of a scent to catch.”

            “What are you even doing here?  Shouldn’t you be in Jersey sniffing out more meth labs?”

            “I was transferred.  You are trespassing, I am going to have to take you in for that.”

            “Like hell you are.”

            The officer frowned and walked towards the reclined figure; reaching back to grab a set of handcuffs.  When the thin woman realized that Garnet was serious she jumped to her feet to try and run away.  However, the dark cop was already right on top of her, quickly getting a hold on one of Pearl’s arms.

            “You have the right to remain silent-”

            “Oh fuck you!  Fuck everything about you and your pretentious convictions,” Pearl snarled as she tried to wiggle free.

            “Anything you say can and will be used against you,” Officer Garnet evenly finished.

            “I hate you!” the pale woman yelled through gritted teeth as she began to punch and kick the dark woman.

            Garnet was unfazed by the feeble attacks as she maintained her hold on Pearl.

            “I hate everything about you!” she continued to rant and physically assault Garnet.  “I hate your face, your house, your-”

            Officer Bailey grunted in pain and bent over slightly.

            “I did not mean to kick you there,” Pearl immediately tried to apologize.

            Garnet exhaled, forcing herself to ignore the pain of getting kicked between the legs.  Even though she wasn’t a man, it still hurt.  The officer’s patience was about to snap.  In two swift movements she latched one end of the handcuff around Pearl’s thin wrist she was almost crushing and then latched the other half around her own.  She was done with this; she was not going to chase this woman around anymore.

            “Wait!  What the fuck?!”  the delinquent tried to pull away from Garnet, but the cop just began walking back towards the edge of the roof dragging the unwilling individual along.

            “We have to get down, I suggest you move with me unless you want to get hurt,” was all the dark woman said as she stepped onto the ledge and looked down.

            “You’re not serious are you?”

            Garnet didn’t respond, she just prepared herself for the short hop down.  Her ears picked up the quick scramble as the thin woman made to jump off the building at the same time as her.  The strong woman landed easily, her captive, not as gracefully.

            “You’re insane,” Pearl grumbled from the ground.

            “What is going on?!” Kofi ran out of the shop accompanied by Jenny and Nanefua.

            “Miss Meyers was trespassing by hiding on your roof, I am taking her in,” was Garnet’s simple reply.

            “I knew it!  She was there the whole time!  Thank you, Officer Garnet.  She better not come back again.”

            “The consequences will be more severe if she does.”

            “Oh stop talking about me like I’m not here!” Pearl jutted in.

            “Normally the penalty for trespassing is a fine.” Officer Bailey began turning towards the pale woman.

            “Like hell I’ll pay a fine, I don’t have the money for that,” Pearl huffed.

            “Which is why I’m taking you in for 24 hours.”

            “What?!  I got work tomorrow.”

            “Well you might want to call and let your boss know you won’t be coming in,” Garnet stated as she undid the cuff around her wrist and locked Pearl’s wrists together behind the thin woman's back as she escorted Pearl to the parked police car.

            “C’mon I was up there for like ten minutes that’s all!”

            “You’ve had multiple complaints.  Next time it will be 48 hours,” Garnet finalized as she somewhat shoved the skinny woman into the back of the car.

            The short drive was frustrating along with trying to get Pearl out of the car and into the station.  It was a real pain in the ass if Garnet was being honest with herself.  Insults and dragging feet accompanied every step until the cell door was finally closed with a loud clang; then it was just insults being screamed at her.  The dark woman tuned them out and walked back into the general area to see Captain Jasper and Officer Lazuli, a desk officer, staring at her.

            “What the hell?” Jasper began.

            “I’m going back out,” was all the dark cop offered.

            “Oh hell no, I’m going out, and you’re staying to keep an eye on what you just brought in,” the buff woman shook her head.  “Lapis, back up Officer Bailey if she needs it,” Jasper ordered as she exited the station and drove off.

            Officer Lazuli gave a wordless response.  The tan, thin, brunette with blue highlights in her hair then turned to Garnet.  “You searched and properly booked her right?”

            The curly haired woman’s eyes widened behind her sunglasses.

            “Fuck.”  She pulled out her gun from its holster on her belt and set it on her desk before walking back towards the cell.

            Pearl glared at her from where she sat on the thin mattress.

            “I’m required to search you and then we’re going to have to go through the booking process.  Please be cooperative, I don’t want to do this anymore than you want me to,” Officer Bailey began.

            “Yeah right, you just want to feel me up don’t you?”

            Garnet ignored the comment and undid the handcuffs.  “Jacket.”

            “What?”

            “I know what you keep in there.”

            “Don’t fuck with me, Garnet,” the strawberry blonde warned.

            Pearl carefully removed her leather jacket.  Covered eyes caught the brief flash of metal in Pearl’s hand as it darted towards her midsection.  Large hands quickly moved to intercept the movement.  Cold steel slipped under her bulletproof vest and brushed against her abdominals for a fraction of a second.  The clatter of the switchblade landing on the concrete floor was followed by a muffled gasp of pain as Garnet twisted Pearl’s arm against her back and shoved her face first into the mattress.  Officer Bailey held her there as she tried to calm the adrenaline coursing through her veins.  A heavy breath escaped her thick lips.

            “Don’t fuck with me, Pearl,” the dark woman growled.

            Pearl didn’t respond, fear passed through her wide eyes for a split second before they returned to their usual glare.  It was in these moments that Garnet remembered just how much stronger she was than the smaller woman.  The curly haired woman released a little of the pressure she was applying to her.

            “I am going to finish searching you, then you are going to be handcuffed again, and then I am going to take your picture and get your fingerprints.  I don’t want this to take any longer than necessary.  Are you going to cooperate this time?”

            The thin woman nodded.  Slowly Garnet released her and stepped back.  Pearl stood up and held out her arms.  In less than a few seconds the search was over, and Garnet left the cell with Pearl’s jacket, switchblade, and other personal items that would be returned upon release.  The pictures and fingerprinting were taken care of without a problem.  Fifteen minutes later Officer Bailey was back at her desk filing the paperwork while Pearl silently sat in her cell handcuffed.  Garnet ran a couple of her fingers across her stomach where she had felt the blade make contact.  She breathed out in relief when no blood was found.

 

            “So what is Pearl in for?” Jasper asked as she plopped into a chair on the other side of Officer Bailey’s desk.  A large pink box in one hand.

            “Trespassing onto Mr. Pizza’s property,” Garnet didn’t look away from her report for the day she was working on.

            “That’s it?”

            “I could add disturbing the public, assaulting an officer, resisting arrest, and more, but trespassing is the only one I have the energy to book her for.  Had it been any other officer that caught her, she wouldn’t have done those things.”

            The buff captain glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the cell area.

            “Sounds like she’s calmed down, must have been the force you applied after she took a swing at you.”

            “You saw that?”

            Jasper nodded.  “There are cameras in there, Lapis reported that there was a scuffle between the two of you.”

            “I’ll release her tomorrow, hopefully that will give her enough time to cool down.”

            “I don’t care about that right now.  What I want to know is why she acts like that towards you.”

            Officer Bailey frowned but didn’t answer.  The captain rolled her amber eyes and plopped the pink box on the stubborn officer’s desk.  Covered eyes glanced down at the contents of the cardboard box.

            “Doughnuts?  Seriously?”

            “They’re from Amethyst, she said she wanted to get you the perfect gift.”

            That made her chuckle.  Of course Amethyst would do that.  Garnet opened the box a little more, noting that a full dozen was inside.

            “I’m impressed, it must have been hard for her to at least not test one out.”

            “She apparently got word about you hauling Miss Meyers in and decided this would cheer you up.”

            The dark woman smiled.  “I’ll have one, the rest are up for grabs.”

            “She added that you should share them with Pearl.”

            “What?!” she quickly looked up from the doughnuts to see if her superior was joking.

            “Amethyst also told me as I drove her to school that the two of you have some history,” Jasper grinned, folding her arms and leaning back in the chair.  “Just what kind of history did the two of you have?”

            Garnet massaged her temples, her headache was not going to be leaving anytime soon.  She knew she should have taken those light painkillers a couple of hours ago.

            “We used to date,” came her barely audible response.

            Loud laughter burst from the large woman’s chest and echoed throughout the small police station.

            “You and Pearl?  You used to?” Jasper made a motion with her hands.

            The curly haired woman felt her face heat up.  “I am not obligated to share any details with you.  We did date, for a time.”

            Jasper’s large fist was slammed against the desk several times as the woman was engulfed by her fits of laughter.  Garnet just frowned and returned her focus to the computer screen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little Garnet POV here with Ruby and Sapphire being awesome moms, hope you all enjoyed it!


	5. Trying Something New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are back in the past again! This time in Garnet's POV.
> 
> Also, there is a small section or two with some NSFW content so look for the /*** and ***\ if you want to skip. Check the new tags added for more details.

^^^^^^

Garnet and Pearl both push their new relationship in various areas.

^^^^^^

 

            Long bare legs were tangled together.  Thin lips lightly brushed against her collarbone as the two laid there; chests rising and falling at different slow paces.  Naked bodies held closely together by arms wrapped around the other.  Garnet let out a quiet sigh of content.  When they had first started getting together Pearl kept as much distance between the two of them as possible; aside from the brief moments between heated rounds.  Now, nearly six months later, her habitual goodbye as soon as they were done and recovered, had slowly morphed into short cuddle sessions, to sleeping together for a couple of hours or so.  Brown eyes gazed down and traced the soft curves of the smaller woman’s bare skin and her relaxed face as she was lightly dozing off.  Garnet wouldn’t admit it, but she had begun to miss the pale woman whenever she left.  Why she had developed such a fixation on Pearl and why she had even went along with Pearl’s idea for warming up the first time they arrived at her place together were still slight mysteries to her, but the dark woman didn’t regret her actions.  She was attracted to her, and as they became involved Pearl definitely showed her that she could bring Garnet to states of euphoria that were hard to resist.  Granted her personality was a little abrasive at times, but under it all Garnet could sense there was a softness and fierce loyalty that the lanky woman possessed.  The sides of Pearl that Garnet wanted to get to know better.  A low chuckle escaped her lips as she ran her fingers through the soft, thin hair.

            “You’re staring,” came Pearl’s barely annoyed voice.

            Garnet smirked.  “Couldn’t help it.”

            “Nothing you haven’t seen before.”

            “Doesn’t mean I’m tired of looking at it,” the curly haired woman countered.

            Pearl scoffed and curled tighter against her firm frame.  “That was cheesy.”

            The dark woman hummed.  “You cold?”

            No response.

            Garnet reached behind herself and pulled the covers open, then maneuvered the two of them so that they were underneath.  The smallest of smiles played on Pearl’s lips.

            “I’ve been thinking,” the larger of the two spoke up.

            “Oh great, what is it now?” came the sarcastic remark.

            Garnet rolled so she was on top of Pearl, looking her in the eyes.  “I want to try something new.”

            “Like what?”

            “I want to go on a date with you.”

            One light eyebrow was raised up. “A date? Why?”

            A smile crossed her thick lips.  “Because I want to get to know you better.”

            “You already know me.”

            “I know every inch of your body, as you do mine, but I know very little about Pearl Meyers as a person.”

            Pearl looked away and groaned.  “But then what’s the whole point of this arrangement of fucking each other senseless with no strings attached?  You want to start tying me down?”

            “Would it be so bad to be tied down to me?”

            “I don’t know you,” she muttered.

            “That’s why I want to go on a date, so we can get to know each other better.”

            The pale woman groaned again and just pulled Garnet down so they were laying flush against each other; wrapping her legs around wide hips.

            “Something simple, just coffee.”

            “I don’t like coffee.”

            “You can order tea too.”  Garnet pulled back and tipped Pearl’s head up so they were making eye contact again.  “Saturday morning at 9am, the small coffee shop and diner on the corner of 18th and N street.  I’ll be there and would like your company.  Come if you want, if not we can just keep on doing this until one of us gets tired of the other.”

            “I’m not making any promises,” was the response.

            “I’m not asking you to,” Garnet smiled as she placed a soft peck on her lips.  /***She used her strong thighs to push Pearl’s legs apart even more to open up her velvet folds; one hand trailing down to trace her opening and lightly stroke her sensitive nub.  Pearl shuddered and held onto her tighter, teeth scraping against her muscular shoulder.***\

 

            Dull greys filled the Saturday morning sky as low clouds bundled together to block out the sun.  The tall, dark woman leaned back casually in her metal chair and absentmindedly looked over the menu she basically had memorized.  It was a usual place for her to go to on her days off to just sit back and relax while enjoying a good cup of coffee.  Brown eyes glanced down at her wrist watch.  9:07am.  Her lips were pulled down slightly, Pearl wasn’t someone to be late, she hated tardiness.  Garnet closed her eyes and tipped her head back, letting the cool breeze ruffle her afro.

            “Is anyone sitting here?” came a familiar voice only minutes later.

            The tall woman sat straight and opened up her brown eyes to a welcomed guest.

            “Only you are.”

            Pearl rolled her eyes as she pulled out the chair with a screech and sat down.  “How many times are you going to use that same line?”

            “Until you make me stop,” Garnet smirked.

            The pale woman sighed and rested her chin in her hand.  Garnet passed the menu over to her.  Pearl looked over it for a total of three seconds.  They sat there silently until a waitress came over to take their orders.

            “Black coffee,” Garnet answered.

            “Green Tea,” Pearl stated.

            “Did you want anything to eat?  I’m paying,” the taller offered.

            “No, the tea is all I need.”

            “Alright!  I’ll have those out for you two in just a few minutes,” the waitress smiled.

            A minute of silence passed between them.

            “So are we going to play 21 questions or something?” Pearl broke the quiet.

            “That’s not a bad idea,” Garnet chuckled.  “I’m honestly surprised that you came.”

            The thin woman huffed and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it and letting out a couple quick puffs of smoke.

            “When did you start?” the dark woman leaned forward.

            “19.  Does it bother you?”

            “I don’t choose to smoke, but if it did I wouldn’t spend my time with you.  Do you have any siblings?”

            “No.  Do you?”

            “Not as far as I’m aware, I’m adopted.”

            “They couldn’t handle any more kids than you?” Pearl teased.

            Garnet laughed.  “I guess you could look at it that way.  It might have also been how reluctant people are to let two women adopt a child.”

            “You have two mothers?”

            “Yup,” the taller pulled out her phone and pulled up a picture of the three of them.  “The one on my right is Sapphire, and the one on my left is Ruby.”

            “So you’re literally made of gay,” came the deadpanned tease.

            “It runs in the family.  What about your parents?”

            “They passed away when I was younger,” Pearl folded her arms and looked out at the street.

            “That must have been really hard.”

            The thin woman shrugged, but made no other response.  A few moments later the waitress came by with their drinks.

            “Where do you work?” Garnet started the questions again.

            “You don’t need to know,” she shot down.  “Where do you work?”

            “Hey now, I asked first,” the curly haired woman frowned.

            “What?  You must be willing to offer that information since you asked.”

            “And you brushed me off.  Information exchange is a two way street.”

            “I don’t see why it’s such a big deal,” Pearl frowned.

            “I want us to be on a level field.  Equal exchange.  How about this, when you’re ready to tell me what you do for work, then I’ll tell you what I do for work.”

            “Alright,” the strawberry blonde agreed.  “What is your favorite color?”

            “Purple.  Why is your favorite color pink?”

            Pearl considered her question for a moment.  “It represents home.”

            “So does mine, a mix of red and blue.”

            “How’d you get your accent?”

            Garnet smirked.  “My parents adopted me while they were living in England actually.  I was four years old when they did, and then we moved here two years later.  I guess it has just stuck around since then.  Do you like it?”

            The smaller woman blushed slightly.  “In general, yes.  Sometimes more than others,” she admitted.  “What do you think of ‘American’ accents?”

            “They are the norm to me, nothing weird about them.  In what ways do you like it more than others?”

            Pearl looked away, fidgeting with her fingers.  “I like how you say my name,” came the barely audible response.

            An eyebrow quirked up in surprise.

            “Like this?  Pearl,” Garnet spoke slowly, letting her accent roll the word around in her mouth a bit more than usual.

            Her date’s face became even redder.

            “Pearrrl.”

            “Ok! That’s enough,” the blushing woman stated.

            Garnet couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face.  Soon their drinks were consumed as they talked on and off.  Garnet paid the bill; then the two walked together towards the nearest bus stop.

            “Heading off to work?” Pearl asked.

            “No, visiting my mothers.  You?”

            “I’ve got work.”

            “I hope it goes well.  Thank you Pearl for joining me, I enjoyed getting to know you better.”

            “Yeah, same here,” Pearl looked away, trying to hide her blush in her leather jacket.

            Garnet tipped her head up and placed a kiss on her lips as the bus arrived.

            “I look forward to possibly doing this again sometime,” she said as she stepped on.

            The pale woman simply huffed and looked away, but the dark woman’s sharp eyes caught the ever so slight smile that appeared on her lips.  Garnet smiled in turn.  It had been a good date.

 

            Garnet- [Want to go mini golfing this Friday evening at 6?]

            Pearl Meyers- [Mini golf? Are you a child or something?]

            Garnet- [Youthful yes, a child no.  It’s a date, plenty of people our age play it.]

            Pearl Meyers- [Why?]

            Garnet- [Because it’s a simple silly game and I want to see if you’re any better at it than me.]

            Pearl Meyers- […this is such a stupid idea, I can’t believe I’m coming.]

            Garnet- [You don’t have to if you really don’t want to.]

            Pearl Meyers- [No I’m coming, and I’m going to wipe your ass all over the mini golf course.]

            Garnet- [Challenge accepted B)]

 

            As the tall woman changed from her uniform into her street clothes one of her fellow officers stepped into the locker room to change.

            “What’s with that grin on your face Bailey?  Fun plans for a Friday night?”

            “Got a challenge to a game of mini golf tonight.”

            “Really?  What’s her name?”

            “Pearl, it’ll be our second official date.”

            “Nice, good luck, are you going to let her win?”

            “Hell no, I hate losing,” Garnet said with a wide grin.  “It’ll be a fun contest; she is competitive as well.”

            “Oh boy, where are you going?  I want to know where to avoid taking my kids tonight for some family time.”

            The younger officer laughed.  “Just the small fun center a couple of streets off the highway.”

            “Noted,” the other officer nodded.  “Good luck.”

            “Thanks,” Garnet smiled as she left with a wave.

            Mini golf was eventful to say the least.  Both were equally inexperienced with the sport, yet both were determined to beat the other.  Garnet was calm and cool in executing her strokes while Pearl was quick and calculating in hers.  At first they were evenly matched, but Garnet slowly pulled into the lead with a couple of lucky holes-in-one and others shot below par.  However, Pearl beat the taller woman in the last couple of holes and came out victorious by three points.  Garnet took the loss with stride and goaded her date into trying out a few arcade games with her.  They tried several shooting games, Pearl commenting on Garnet’s professional form and seriousness with a silly game.  The taller simply shrugged.  Racing games were ok, and pattern games were quickly abandoned when the pale woman found it impossible to get even close to Garnet’s score.  With a bit of encouragement Pearl tried out the dancing game where they had to step on the arrows in the time with the scrolling symbols on the screen.  It took a couple of tries but they were surprisingly good at the game.  Quick feet and a sense of rhythm were things the two had strengths in.

            Pearl wheezed as she was bent over grasping onto the top of her thighs.  Garnet stood off to her side breathing heavily, but easily.  The two stood outside of the fun center, letting the cool air relieve their hot sweaty skin from dancing for almost twenty minutes.

            “I, should, have, never, agreed…to that last dance,” the thin woman got out between breaths.

            The dark woman simply shrugged, grinning from one ear to the other, not sorry for one second for pushing the smaller woman.

            “I wanted to see if we could do it.”

            “Seven-minute long, song, on expert though?  We would have, had just as much of, a challenge with hard.”

            Pearl coughed and then stood up straight.  Garnet handed her a water bottle.

            “So does that mean you’re all worn out for the night?”

            “Depends on what you have planned next.”

            “You’ll have to just come along and see,” the tall woman teased as she began to walk off.

            The thin woman quickly followed.

 

            Their routine changed.  Dates were frequent and enabled the two to become closer as they got to know each other on a more personal level.  Spending time with Pearl was always the highlight of Garnet’s day or week.  Pearl started initiating ideas for dates after a month and seemed to be enjoying the time they spent together as well.  It was also a nice perk whenever their outings would end back at Garnet’s apartment.  Slowly the dark woman got to see the side of Pearl that was animated and full of excitement and it only made her want to be with her even more.

 

/*** 

            “I’m not so sure about this,” Garnet frowned as she watched Pearl carefully tie the firm knot around her other arm.

            “I wanted to try something new and you were willing,” the thin woman countered as she sat on Garnet’s lap inspecting her handiwork.

            “Yeah, but I was not expecting to have almost half of my forearms covered in rope.”

            “You have plenty of circulation to your hands, right?”

            The dark woman tested the restraints.  “Yes, I’m just a little nervous that’s all.  I’m awfully exposed,” she admitted as she looked at her arms bound down against Pearl’s brass headboard, pulled out to her full arm span.

            Thin cold fingers ran across her nipples and over her bare skin.  Garnet took a sharp breath in.

            “You trust me, right?” Pearl confirmed.

            “Yes.”

            “And I trust you enough to let you into my apartment.”

            “I feel honored, but still a little nervous.”

            “You remember the safe word?”

            “Mudslide.”

            “I’m not going to do anything too extreme, I just wanted to be in control for once.”

            “You get to be on top at times whenever we have sex,” Garnet objected.

            “But only when you let me.  This way I get to say how it’s going down.”  Pearl leaned her naked body against Garnet’s and began to kiss her softly.  “Relax, I’m not going to hurt you, and if it’s too much just say the word and I will stop.”

            Garnet nodded and melted into the kiss.  The smaller woman started with soft touches and kisses all over her, steadily pushing her to the point where she was almost whimpering with need to be touched down in her center.  Pearl smirked and applied more pressure to her touches and kisses, drawing out deep breathy moans from the darker woman.  Finally, after endless teasing the pale woman slipped down and positioned herself between Garnet’s legs.

            “Now to test the limits of your stamina,” Pearl seductively stated as she began to roll her tongue around Garnet’s sensitive nub.

            Garnet swallowed nervously and then gasped out in pleasure as Pearl continued.

 

            Dark spots danced in front of her eyes, her limp body covered in sweat that slowly dripped onto the metal bedframe and white sheets.  She was completely exhausted; her skin tingled from being pushed over the edge repeatedly and teased relentlessly.  Garnet couldn’t find the strength to respond to the sweet torture Pearl was still applying to her core with her skilled tongue and fingers.  The now warm brass pushed uncomfortably against her upper back and her forearms and wrists burned from twisting and pulling at the rope.  Garnet barely had any voice left, her chest rose and fell rapidly as her body tried to claim as much oxygen as possible.

            “Mud…mud…mudslide.  Mudslide!” she gasped out.

            Pearl stopped and looked up at her, concern in her soft features.

            “Mudslide,” Garnet breathed out again.

            The thin woman nodded and moved from between her legs to kneeling by her right side.

            “Hey,” Pearl asked as she cupped the larger woman’s cheek and pulled her head down from where it had been tilted up towards the ceiling.  “How are you doing?”

            “I’m exhausted.  You-you just wiped me clean, I-I got nothing left.”

            The smaller woman carefully straddled her lap and pressed a tender kiss to Garnet’s swollen lips.  She could taste herself on Pearl.

            “Four long rounds, not bad.  Want me to untie you?”

            The dark woman chuckled in spite of herself.  “Yes, please.”

            “Alright.”  Thin fingers began to work on one of the knots.

            “What about you?  I don’t know if I have the energy to properly reciprocate and I don’t want to leave you unsatisfied.”

            “I have an idea for that,” she slowly began, “if you’re ok with it, and alright with me keeping you tied up for a little longer,” Pearl suggested as she stopped untying the knot.

            Garnet thought for a moment, being released sounded very appealing, but then she was always willing to go an extra bit just for Pearl.

            “You can leave me tied up for now.”

            “Thanks,” Pearl smiled as she got up and walked over to her small dresser.

            After digging around for a moment, she pulled out a strap-on.  Garnet gulped.

            “I’ll put this on you and you can help satisfy me with minimal effort.”

            “Alright,” the curly haired woman agreed after a bit of deliberation.

            She shifted her hips around as best as she could so Pearl could put on the harness and the phallic shaft.  With everything set in place, Pearl positioned herself over the shaft and began to pleasure herself.  It was entrancing to watch how she would roll her hips and body.  Garnet wanted to reach out and help, run her hands over Pearl’s sensitive spots, and kiss her soft skin.  However, any feeble attempt was smothered by her restraints.  The pale woman smirked as she noticed Garnet’s halted movements.  She kept just enough distance so there was minimal contact between them and slowly lowered herself onto the strap-on until she met the base.  Soon the room was filled with the smaller woman’s gasps and moans as she rode Garnet, dull fingernails eventually digging into the darker woman’s back as she came closer and closer to the edge.  Garnet strained against the rope with the energy she had recovered.  Her only solace in the situation came from what she could do with her hips to help pleasure Pearl.  Being bound certainly had its frustrating elements.  She could only kiss the pale woman if she came close enough, and touching was completely out of the equation.  Despite this, she was given the opportunity to watch Pearl slowly come undone on her lap.  Not too much later Pearl came gasping and whining into the crook of Garnet’s neck as she could feel the pale woman’s wetness spread onto her.  They stayed like that for a few instants.

            “Thanks for indulging me,” Pearl said as she sat up and placed a kiss on Garnet’s lips.

            “You’re welcome,” the dark woman breathed out.

            “Hey Pearl we got everything you ordered-Oh shit!” the voice suddenly cut off as a figure opened up the door to the room and saw the state the two occupants were in.

            “S!” Pearl shouted as she flattened herself against Garnet.  “Knock first!”

            “Sorry!” the woman quickly shut the door.  “Didn’t know you were going to have company!” she shouted through the wood.

            “That was embarrassing,” Garnet groaned.  “Didn’t you lock it?”

            “These doors don’t have locks,” Pearl glared at the door.

            “Oh…”

            Pearl let out a sigh.  “One more round and then I untie you?”

            “Yeah, I’m ok with that, though I wish I could touch you.”

            “Maybe next time,” she breathily whispered in her ear as she began to move herself up and down the shaft.

            A soft gasp escaped Pearl’s lips.  The curly haired woman tensed up at the sound.  Pearl’s light noises always drove her nuts.

***\

 

            Garnet rubbed her wrists as she sat on the edge of the bed partially dressed.  Her belt hung undone while her button up, plaid shirt was open all the way down easily showing off her cut abdominal muscles.  She had yet to recover her underwear that were somewhere on the carpeted floor.  After cleaning up in the bathroom she would put them back on.  Garnet frowned at the light, red marks running from her wrists to mid forearms that would soon be accompanied by bruises tomorrow.  Hands quickly buttoned up the cuffs on her sleeves and pulled them down to cover the marks before she fell back onto the bed and closed her eyes.  She was tired.  Her body was completely spent; she could feel her bones melting into the soft mattress.  The scent of the fresh ocean accompanied by the sting of tobacco wafted into her nostrils as a familiar voice called out to her.  Slowly the dark woman opened her eyes to see Pearl leaning over her wearing a long, fluffy, white robe, wrapped to cover her completely.

            “Tired?” a hand ran softly through her thick curls.

            “Very.”

            The pale woman sat down and buckled up her belt and quickly popped the middle three buttons of her shirt into place.

            “Kicking me out already?  I don’t think I’m going to be able to walk right now,” Garnet teased.

            Pearl shoved her shoulder.  “No, I just figured it would be best in case S decides to barge in again.”

            “Your roommate?”

            “And friend.  We’ve known each other for a few years.”

            The tired woman hummed in understanding.

            “Go ahead and rest.  You can leave when you’re ready, or able to,” Pearl added with a wink.

            “Yeah just give me thirty minutes.”  Garnet pulled out her phone and set a quick alarm.

            “Sweet dreams,” Pearl smirked as she leaned down to capture her thick lips in a tender kiss.

            The dark woman smirked in response as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

 

            Bells rang by her head effectively waking her up and sending her into a short panic that ended with her falling onto the floor.  Garnet groaned and gingerly got on her feet, turning off her phone's alarm.  A glance at the alarm clock by Pearl’s bed informed her that it was just after 1am on Saturday morning.  She needed to get home.  The tall woman gathered her remaining belongings and opened the bedroom door.  A pink haired, curvy woman sat on a barstool absentmindedly sipping from a green mug while watching the movie playing on the TV in the living room.

            “Pearl had to leave, otherwise she’d be here,” the woman spoke up.

            “Oh, thanks.” Garnet looked around, looking for the bathroom.

            “Bathroom is just behind the living room before you reach the second bedroom.”

            “Thanks, sorry about all of this,” she gestured to herself and Pearl’s room.

            The pink haired woman just held up her hand.  “Not your fault entirely, I’m just going to give Pearl an earful so she at least warns me before having you over again.”  Green eyes turned to look her over.  “So you’re the bus stop woman, right?  The one Pearl’s been distracted with for the past several months?”

            Garnet blushed and rubbed the back of her head.  “Yeah, she’s pretty distracting too.” She cleared her throat.  “My name is Garnet.” The dark woman extended her hand.

            “S.  I’m not shaking your hand, not until you get cleaned up or something.”

            “Oh, yeah…right, sorry,” Garnet moved towards the bathroom.

_Leave it to Pearl to make me do the walk of shame._

 

            It had been a few months since they had been going on dates together, Garnet finally felt like it was time to ask the pale, stubborn woman a serious question.  They were walking together side by side along the sidewalk that ran along an old, rundown park.  Dark clouds hung in the sky off in the distance, an oncoming storm was not too far away.  Thankfully Garnet had at least brought her umbrella just in case it rained early.  Lips turned up in a half smile as a memory jumped into her consciousness.

            “Do you remember our first conversation?” Garnet asked the shorter woman.

            Pearl looked up at her with a blank expression on her face, fingers holding a cigarette to her lips.

            The curly haired woman chuckled.  “It was ten months ago when I tried to introduce myself to you.  You asked me why I was talking to you.”

            “Oh…” Pearl exhaled along with a stream of white vapor.

            She hadn’t really expected the smaller woman to remember, but she did.  It had taken a lot of guts to walk up to the woman who obviously didn’t want to talk to anyone and attempt to engage in friendly conversation.  Much like it was going to take a lot of guts to ask the question that had been weighing heavily on her tongue.

            “I want to try something new,” she stated, looking forward.

            “Oh great, another one of your brilliant ideas?”

            Garnet stopped and turned to face Pearl, causing in turn the woman to pause and regard her with a cautious expression.

            “I want to be official with you.”

            She watched Pearl process the statement.

            “You want to date me?”

            “I want to date you exclusively, like girlfriends,” Garnet said as she reached out and gently took hold of Pearl’s cold hand.

            “You want me to be your girlfriend?”

            “Yes,” the dark woman smiled.

            “Why?” Pearl pulled her hand away.

            “Because I want to try this with you, I think we would enjoy it.”

            “We already have sex and go on dates, isn’t that girlfriend stuff already?”

            “Then why not make it official?” Garnet countered, a gentle smirk playing on her lips.

            The smaller woman didn’t respond.  Garnet’s gut sank.

            “If you really don’t want to, we don’t have to,” she sighed, looking away.

            “No.”

            A cold hand grabbed hers.

            “I-I want to try it.”

            Garnet turned and faced Pearl, who wasn’t looking at her just yet.

            “I don’t know how it will go, but yeah, I’ll try it with you.” Pearl faced her with a sideways smile.  “Besides it hasn’t been so bad having a few strings attached to you.  A few more shouldn't hurt.”

            Joy overcame her body.  Garnet leaned forward and pulled her new girlfriend in for a firm kiss.  She grinned widely and briefly laughed before kissing her again.  Pearl made a sarcastic comment, and the day couldn’t get any brighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter we will jump back to the present and check in on Pearl in jail.
> 
> It may seem a little heavy on the sensual side, but that is how their relationship started. Don't worry, there's a lot more action content coming.


	6. Cooperation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are back in the present. No warnings for this chapter. Time to get a better look into Garnet's police work. New tags added.

^^^^^^

Officer Bailey enlists the help of several individuals to help figure out who has been leaving dangerous bags of white crystals around.

^^^^^^

 

            Booted feet dully thudded against the concrete floor as Officer Bailey made her way back towards the cell Pearl was contained in.  The pale woman was sitting on the bed, back resting against the wall of bars that ran parallel to the walkway.  With a jingle of keys and a shove, the metal door was slid open and then closed as Garnet walked in carrying the pink box of doughnuts.  Light blue eyes glanced at her, the rest of the woman’s body not moving an inch.  The officer cautiously approached Pearl and opened the box of doughnuts towards her.  Bored eyes traveled from the sweets up to the woman holding them.

            “What?” she snapped.

            “A gift from Amethyst, said I should try to share them with you,” Garnet explained.

            “Yeah right.”

            “I don’t really buy these, you know that.”

            “You’re a cop, you looove doughnuts,” Pearl stated sarcastically.

            The curly haired woman looked down at the doughnuts through her sunglasses.  “It’s an assortment, so the one I do like is in there.”

            “Which one is that?”

            “The one with maple frosting and sprinkles,” Garnet pointed at the pastry.

            Thin fingers reached into the box and pulled out the mentioned doughnut.  Yellowed teeth promptly took a bite out of the sweet, a smirk on dry lips.

            “You seriously like this kind?” Pearl said through the food in her mouth.

            “No, but I figured you’d probably do that.” Garnet smirked.  “I actually am more of a fan of the simple, chocolate, cake doughnut,” the taller woman said as she pulled that one out of the box and took a bite, white teeth effortlessly tearing through the thicker dough.

            The delinquent laughed at herself for a half of a second.

            “Smart,” she commented as she took another bite out of hers.  “So were you just coming in to do your duty to Amethyst?”

            “More or less,” the officer shrugged.  “My shift is ending so the night crew will be taking care of you until I’m back tomorrow.  You still have your one phone call left to use and dinner will be brought in shortly.”

            “Good, so I won’t have to see your face until tomorrow then.”

            Garnet nodded.  “Any questions for me?”

            “Why do you wear your sunglasses inside?”

            “Because I need to.”

            “Riiiiight, you _need_ to look cool.”

            “Why thank you,” the dark woman smiled.

            Pearl stared at her puzzled.

            “You said my sunglasses made me look cool,” Garnet smirked as she tipped her hat towards Pearl and began to exit the cell.

            “WHAT?! No!  That’s not what I meant!” the thin woman quickly shot back.  “They’re hideous, absolutely out of fashion!” Pearl shouted at Garnet’s back as she walked back into the office area with the remaining doughnuts.

            Officer Bailey set the pink box down and informed the officers in the station that they were up for grabs.  After submitting her daily report, Garnet headed home for the evening.

 

            At 3:17pm the cell door was opened.  Covered eyes located the sullen figure still sitting in the same place she had been the night before.

            “Can I have a smoke break?” came the gravelly, highly frustrated voice.

            “After I finish releasing you.  You’ll be able to smoke to your heart’s content.”

            Pearl whirled around to stare at her.  “It’s that time already?”

            “Yup, it’s been 24 hours since I brought you in.”

            “Fuck yes!” Pearl hopped off the bed and ran towards the cell door, which was currently being blocked by Garnet.  “Aren’t we going to go now?”

            The dark woman folded her arms and leveled Pearl with a stern expression.  “This was a warning; your next trespassing offence will land you in here again.”

            “Got it, can we go now?”

            “Also, stop giving Amethyst cigarettes.  It’s illegal and you’re encouraging her in a habit that is detrimental to her health.”

            “Look I only give them to her because she wants them,” light blue eyes rolled around in their sockets.

            “It’s _illegal_ Pearl, the next time I catch you doing it I will arrest you,” Garnet stated firmly.

            “Oh what? Are you really going to be like that?  You never got all huffy about my smoking.”

            “You are an adult, she is not.  If I remember correctly, I did tell you how I felt about you smoking.”

            “‘I don’t like that you smoke because it could take you away from me sooner’, or some lame romantic shit saying.”  Pearl lolled her head to the side, completely bored with the conversation.

            “You do whatever you want in regards to your own body, but as for Amethyst, no more cigarettes.  Once she’s an adult she can decide if she wants to keep it up or not,” Garnet turned and began walking, motioning Pearl to follow.

            “You know that if she doesn’t get them from me she’ll get them another way.”

            “I know.”

            It only took a few minutes to release Pearl and return all of her belongings.  The thin woman walked out of the station, lit a cigarette, and gave Garnet her usual “friendly” gesture.  A pathetic scoff escaped thick lips as she shook her head at the entire situation.  It was simply ridiculous that their past relationship had been turned into this.  It was simply ridiculous how much it still hurt too.  Running into Pearl in Beach City had been the last thing Garnet had anticipated.  After her shift where she had to shoo Pearl away from the Pizza’s shop for the first time, Garnet found herself digging through her pile of unpacked belongings for her 400lb punching bag.  While beating the object for over an hour had helped to take the edge off the anger and pain seeping into her veins, it really only settled down as she destroyed the tacky, white, picket fence lining her new home.  The hot water from her shower washed away the sweat, grime, and the heavy assault of memories that tried to resurface just from seeing Pearl again after nearly four years.  Things had changed so much, yet they had barely changed at all.  It had taken considerable effort to remain neutral in her reactions to the pale woman’s rude behavior at first, but keeping her emotions in check on the outside was something she was good at.  Besides, her punching bag was always back at her house ready to be used once she got home.  Overtime Pearl proved to be a simple annoyance and disappointment; her insults and antagonizing behavior rolled off the dark officer’s shoulders easier with each interaction.  However, there were still days that it cut into her instead of glancing off.  Garnet reached down to reflexively scratch the nonexistent itch in the middle of her right thigh as she watched Pearl walk towards the boardwalk.  Time can heal all wounds, she just needed to be patient.

 

            A couple of good changes came from the brief incarceration, Pearl practically left Fish Stew Pizza alone, she generally avoided Officer Bailey, opting to slide away whenever the cop got near her, and Amethyst didn’t smell like cigarette smoke as often.  Those were small victories, and Garnet celebrated them silently.

 

            White vapor escaped thin lips as a snarl was formed.  The large frame of Captain Green powerfully strode over to where the loiterer was standing with her usual shorter company.

            “Pearl, get your ass off Mr. Fryman’s property before I haul you in,” the deep voice gruffly warned as her massive fists were placed on wide hips.

            “So the Fryman has been taking lessons from the Pizza man?”

            “They’re all tired of your shit, go back and loiter at your mechanic shop.”

            Pearl rolled her eyes and groaned.  “Like I’d want to be there for any longer than I have to.”

            “Hey, where is Officer G?  She hasn’t come by to take me back to school for the past week,” Amethyst piped in.

            Amber eyes gazed down at the teen.  “She’s on the graveyard shift so she won’t be giving you rides for a few months at least.  So hustle your ass back to school before I call your parents.”

            “I’d get there faster if you drove me,” Amethyst tried.

            “I said once a week, and you’ve already used that up on Monday.  Now scram!” Jasper folded her burly arms across her chest.

            “Fiiiine,” the short teen grumbled as she slouched and began slowly walking in the direction of Beach City’s high school.

            “Faster!  If you don’t get back by the end of school I’ll call ‘em anyways!”

            The silver haired teen turned, stuck her tongue out at the captain, and then resumed walking at a slightly faster pace.  Jasper bristled and was going to shout out a retort, but then thought better of it.  She turned to address Pearl, but the thin woman was already walking off as well.  With a couple of curses muttered under her breath she walked back to her car and returned to the station.

 

            Salty ocean air drifted through the quieter boardwalk.  Garnet walked at an even pace, her eyes and head constantly moving as she scanned the area she was in.  It had been nice to be moved to a different shift.  Here she got to know the ocean side of town better and watch over the city at night; her preferred time of day.  Ahead was the Big Donut, and off to the side was the usual thin figure with messy strawberry blonde hair smoking a cigarette.  The dark woman never got calls concerning Pearl from Sadie, the head employee at the shop.  Evidently, she wasn’t bothered by the woman’s presence.  Garnet suspected that was partially because Sadie had her hands full with her difficult co-worker Lars.  The cop continued to walk past the Big Donut, making no physical acknowledgment of the pale woman.

            “Amethyst misses you,” the familiar voice called out to her through the distant cries of seagulls.

            Garnet turned to face Pearl, surprised.

            “She says she’s getting tired of having to walk back to school,” Pearl added.

            A small smile formed on her lips.  “If she just stayed she wouldn’t have to, but you can let her know that I miss her company as well.”

            “I’m no messenger bird,” came a growl.  “Talk to her yourself.”

            “If I see her I will, but you might see her before I do, so I thought-”

            “Well you thought wrong,” Pearl snapped.  “I was doing her a favor.  There’s no way in hell I’d do one for you.”

            The curly haired woman sighed, pinching her nose underneath her reflective sunglasses.  “Fine.  I get it.  I _get_ it.  Sorry for assuming incorrectly.”

            The loiterer didn’t respond, she simply looked away and took a drag from her cigarette.  Garnet resumed her patrol of the area.

 

            Several days later Garnet spotted Amethyst sitting on the edge of one of the concrete docks during her patrol.  The teen was still and just staring out into the water.  A smile formed on the cop’s lips, she had missed talking with her.

            “Hey Sport,” she greeted as she walked up to Amethyst.

            “Oh, hey Officer G,” came a distracted voice as the teen turned to look at her over her round shoulder.

            “Mind if I join you?”

            “Knock yourself out.”

            Garnet sat down and stared out at the sunset.  Deep reds and rich violets pulsed out from the descending sun to paint the dark blue sky, the edges of the clouds, and the calm waves a few feet below.  Amethyst was oddly quiet, seemingly lost in thought about something.  The Officer waited patiently, if the teen was going to say something, it would be when she was ready.  A few minutes of silence passed.

            “Have you ever been curious about something?  But afraid to try it because of what people say it can do to you?  Or the bad things that can happen?” Amethyst spoke up.

            The dark woman hummed thoughtfully.  “Yes.”

            “Like drugs or something like that?”

            “Yes.”

            “What kinds?” her interest was evident in the change of tone in her voice.

            “Cocaine, heroin, marijuana, ecstasy, meth, speed, etc., all for the reason to understand why people were so wrapped up in them.  I wanted to know why they would go to such lengths to steal, kill, or more, just to get another hit.  I wanted to know why they wanted to live in those altered states instead of reality.”

            “Did you ever try any of them?”

            “A couple actually,” Garnet shamefully admitted.  “When I was a much younger cop.”

            “Which ones?”

            “Cocaine and ecstasy.  It was crazy how even after one use of cocaine how much my body called out for more.  Scared me shitless.  Ecstasy was not as bad of an experience, but one I’d still rather never repeat.”

            “Oh…”

            “Why do you ask?” Officer Bailey directed at the teen after a couple moments of silence.

            Amethyst stared down at her hands, opening them up to reveal a small plastic bag containing white crystals.  Garnet stiffened and held her breath for a moment.

            _Meth…_

“I snatched it away from Peri yesterday, she had spotted it first just lying on one of the benches near the school.  I grabbed it from her hands and ran away laughing that I got the mystery item.  By the time I got home I realized what this probably was.  Part of me wants to turn it in, but part of me wants to try it out just to know what it feels like.  What kind of delinquent gets free drugs and doesn’t try them out, right?” Amethyst tried to finish in a joking tone.

            “A smart one,” the curly haired woman stated seriously.

            The teen looked down at the white crystals.

            “Are you going to confiscate this?” she asked.

            “Yes.”

            “I figured you would.”

            “Are you ok with that?” Garnet asked as she pulled an evidence bag from her belt and turned it inside out around her hand.

            “Yeah…I am…”

            The officer extended her bag covered hand.  Amethyst dropped the small bag of meth into her palm.  Garnet skillfully flipped it right side out, containing the evidence inside without having to touch it.

            “This was all of it, right?”

            “Yes.”

            “Thank you Amethyst, you made the right choice.”

            Covered eyes glanced down at the meth in her hand.  It had been found by a school in a spot suspiciously obvious.  Someone placed the drug in hopes that it would be grabbed and potentially used.  Red flooded her vision and her grip tightened on the small bag.  Fury boiled in her veins, they were trying to get kids addicted to their shit!  When she found out whoever was responsible for this she was going to make them wish that they had never been born.

            “Are you going to arrest me?” Amethyst timidly asked.

            “No.  You willingly surrendered the item and explained how you got a hold of it.”

            “I could be lying; I could’ve made it and just made this whole story up.”

            “You could, but I would hope that you’re being honest with me.  I’ll be scanning this for fingerprints and collecting a few more pieces of evidence.  If you were lying to me, this whole conversation was recorded on my chest camera,” Garnet tapped her chest next to the small device.  “But like I said, I don’t believe you would lie to me about something like this.”

            “I see, what’s going to happen now?”

            “I’m going to investigate the origins of this meth and how it got into your hands.”  After a moment of quiet she added.  “I’m proud of you Amethyst.  That took a lot of guts to talk to me about this and surrender it.”

            Amethyst blushed.  “Nah, it wasn’t hard, you’re not so bad to talk to.  Are you going to leave now?”

            “Depends,” Garnet shrugged.

            “Depends on what?”

            “On if you have anything else you want to talk about and if you’ve finished the assignment I gave you three weeks ago.”

            The silver haired teen’s eyes widened.  “You remember that?!”

            “Have you finished it?”

            “G-give me two more days ok?!  I’ll promise I’ll finish memorizing the Greek SI prefixes!”

            “And their factor of ten and decimal representation?”

            “All of it,” Amethyst gave a worried grin.

            Garnet hummed.  “Fine, you get two more days.”

            “Thank you Officer G!”

            The dark woman chuckled.  “Was there anything else on your mind?”

            Amethyst became quiet for a moment.  “No, that was all that was really occupying my attention.  I guess I’ll never know what it feels like.”

            “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

            “I know…It’s not as cool though.”

            “Not as cool as being part of a police investigation and providing evidence and information that might help me catch the real culprit?  Geez, you really just took the wind out of my sails,” Garnet huffed.

            “Well when you say it like that, then it’s ok,” Amethyst conceded.  “Let me know when you catch the baddie ok?”

            “I will, thank you Amethyst,” the officer said as she stood.

            The teen stood with her shrugging lightly. 

            “Also, for now, I’d like you to keep quiet about you and Peridot finding this, but if you see anymore, please be careful to pick them up without getting any fingerprints on them, preferably with a clean plastic bag or something.  Then let me know when and where you found it.   We don’t want to alert whoever is leaving this that we’re onto them, but we also want to try and make sure no one else gets their hands on the meth that would try to use it.  Are you cool with that?”

            “Yeah, will do Officer G,” she gave her a mock salute.  “I’ll make sure I stick some bags in my backpack just in case.”

            “Here,” Garnet reached into her belt and pulled out a few bags, “use these.  Very official plastic bags here, so don’t go losing them, ok?” the officer finished with a teasing tone.

            “Yes, ma’am!” Amethyst giggled.

            She took the plastic bags and folded them in half before stuffing them into her pants pocket.

            “Also, if you see the person dropping them off, don’t engage, take a picture or video of them, or at least remember things like what they were wearing, or their physical features.  I don’t want you to endanger yourself in helping me out, your safety is my priority, understand?”

            “No worries, Officer G, I gotcha.  We’ll catch those baddies in no time now that you’re working with me!” the teen grinned.

            Garnet smiled and hummed in approval.

            By the time the two went their separate ways the reds and violets had been engulfed by the dark blue night sky.  Garnet glanced down at her watch.  8:03pm.  Not late enough that she couldn’t drop by Peridot Sanders’s house and get her side of the story.  She called in her change of location due to investigating the recent drug appearance.  Peridot’s mother and father were worried at her appearance at their door, but she assured them that their daughter was not in trouble, she just wanted to speak to Peridot about an item the teen had seen near the school.  The glasses wearing teen with blonde hair sticking up in odd angles regarded Officer Bailey with caution.  It took a few minutes to get her to warm up and begin talking about the incident openly.  Luckily, since Peridot was such a detail oriented individual with excellent memory, she was able to provide Garnet with both an approximate time frame and the location of where the bag was found.  Officer Bailey thanked her for her help and cooperation; then gave her and her parents the same instructions she had given to Amethyst earlier.  Peridot’s parents expressed their concern with their daughter being involved with this.  Garnet left it up to their discretion on how to react if they saw another bag of meth, if they didn’t want to have a part that was perfectly fine, as long as they kept it quiet until the culprit was caught.  She stressed that in no time should they ever endanger themselves to try and help with the case; that was to be left to the police.  In the end Peridot took a few bags to have on hand.  The Sanders wished her a good night as she headed back to her patrol car.

            The next location Garnet dropped by was where the bag had been found.  Covered eyes scrutinized the area seeing if there were any security cameras or traffic cameras that had the spot in their sights.  Lips were pressed into a thin line as she noticed only one stoplight about fifty feet away that regulated traffic into and out of the school’s parking lot.  As for other security cameras, there were none.  It was going to be difficult, but hopefully the camera had captured at least Peridot and Amethyst finding the meth, and maybe even the drop off.  The dark officer then walked around the high school mapping out all nearby traffic and security cameras, as well as areas that might be spots for future drop offs.  Back in her squad car she drew a crude map before heading back to the station.  It didn’t take long to get permission to view the traffic video for the one camera.  Garnet dropped the meth off in forensics for fingerprinting, and then poured herself a cup of black coffee and sat down, ready to find whatever hints she could.  A frown crossed her face when the video didn’t show the bench and some of the area nearby it, a large bush was in the way.  However, it had recorded anyone passing by the spot.  She moved to a half an hour before the time Peridot gave her and began watching.  It took a while, but eventually sharp eyes caught two familiar blurry figures approaching the area.  The time stamp was close to the time Peridot gave her.  One figure stopped and disappeared behind the bush, the other uninterested figure suddenly rushed behind the bush and emerged seconds later waving their arm in the air while the other arm was holding the smaller blurry figure at bay.  Garnet paused the video and zoomed in on the hand in the air.  She rubbed her eyes and internally cursed as she remembered that zooming in would only make the pixels even bigger.  She tried to analyze what she could see anyway.  There were a couple of pixels a lighter color than the color of the pixels used to make the teen’s light brown skin.  Not a clear picture, but a piece of evidence that verified Amethyst’s and Peridot’s stories.  Garnet grabbed the beginning and end times of the interaction and wrote them down in her investigation notes while also saving that same chunk of video footage.  Now her next task would be to hopefully find any and all possible suspects who could have dropped off the meth.  She took another sip from her cold coffee and cracked her neck.

 

            “What are you still doing here!?” the deep voice boomed across the station.

            Garnet paused the video she was still watching and closed her eyes; taking a deep breath.  Heavy footsteps made their way to her desk.

            “It’s 10am in the morning Bailey!” Jasper boomed.  “Your shift was over four hours ago!”

            “That time already?  Well then forensics should be done collecting fingerprints on the evidence I collected yesterday.  I needed a break from watching this anyway.” Garnet simply replied as she stood up and stretched.

            “Fingerprints on what?”

            “Some meth found by two high schoolers a couple of days ago right outside the school.”

            “You’re joking right?”

            “No.  Luckily I happened to stop to talk with Amethyst and she decided to turn it over to me.”

            Jasper frowned and then examined the dark officer’s desk.  “Go home, shower, get some rest, we’ll take over it from here.”

            “I’ll leave once I’ve finished reviewing this tape and written up my report.  Then I’ll work with anyone you assign to me on this case.  The school’s principal and teacher should probably be informed to keep an eye out for anymore bags of drugs, but I want it kept quiet so we can catch the culprit instead of scaring them away.”

            The captain shook her head.  “I give the orders here, you’re to write your report and go home.”

            “Not until I’ve finished reviewing the tape and finding all potential suspects.”

            Amber eyes narrowed.  “This is what you did in Jersey, didn’t you?  They didn’t mention your disregard for orders from your superiors, but maybe that’s what they meant by you becoming stubborn.  You find cases or drugs and then you don’t rest until they are caught, right?”

            “I found and shut down more dealers and makers in my ten years in Jersey than most of the seasoned detectives.  No one could complain about that,” Garnet countered.  “Some bastard is out there trying to get kids hooked on drugs to create more customers for themselves, I am not going to waste any time in finding and hunting them down.”

            Jasper frowned, exhaling heavily.  “Fine, finish watching your tapes and write your report.  I expect you to be back by your regular shift tonight to go over what you’ve found and what we’re going to do from here on out.”

            “Yes, ma’am,” the dark officer nodded.

            The captain nodded and walked off grumbling about the difficult officer.

 

            Around 3pm Garnet finished submitting her report.  In it was a list of all the potential figures caught on film that could be the one that dropped off the meth.  Forensics came back with only two sets of fingerprints on the bag, both unregistered, both most likely belonging to Peridot and Amethyst.  The two were being called in to provide their fingerprints so they could be properly identified.  She also filed a request to be able to take a small sample of the meth crystals for further investigation.  After a shower and a quick nap, she would be back at 6pm to start the next phase of the investigation with Jasper.

 

            “So this is the list and the accompanying screen shots of all the possible individuals that stopped by the bench to leave the bag of meth within the past 24hrs of it being found?” Jasper confirmed as she looked over all of the pictures and time stamps.  “There sure are a lot of them.”

            “It’s a busy section and there is the blind spot so we can only guess.  My hope is that they make another drop and we are able to capture a repeat figure around possibly the same time,” Garnet commented.

            The buff woman rested her pointer fingers against her round lips.  “I’ve already spoken with the principal, a number of the teachers, and the officers assigned to that area on keeping an eye out for the bags.  We’ll find them if they get dropped off again.  Why did you want to take a sample of the stuff?”

            “To ask some questions from an informant I know,” Garnet vaguely answered.

            Jasper glared at her.  “You’re going to have to give me a better explanation than that before I authorize you to take some of the evidence.”

            “I want to get a professional opinion on the quality of the meth to confirm or deny my suspicions.”

            “And who would this professional be?”

            “Sorry, that’s confidential,” Garnet answered with an expressionless face.

            “You’re not making a good argument for getting it,” Jasper grumbled as she scrolled through another set of pictures.

            “I’ll be taking a sample whether or not you approve it, rest assured I will return all of it.”

            “Fine!  Take a sample, just fill out some paperwork to say what you did.  It better help you find this crook otherwise I’m going to give you hell for it.”

            A light smirk formed on thick lips.  “Thank you Captain Green.”

            “Yeah, yeah…”

            Powerful legs walked into the evidence room and found the small bag of meth.  Carefully she extracted a few crystals and placed them into a smaller bag.  She put the crystals in her belt, exited the station, and mentally geared up for her meeting with her informant.

 

            Pearl watched the smoke rise into the night sky as she blew it out of her mouth.  She pulled the lapels of her jacket around her neck a little tighter as she tried to ward off the chill.  The Big Donut wasn’t as warm as Fish Stew Pizza or the Fry Shop, but at least she didn’t have to worry about getting told to scram.  Today she had the chance to speak with Steven Universe, a cheery twelve-year old, for a few minutes.  He didn’t know of her exact relation to his mother Rose, but he was enthusiastic and happy to see her every time.  Steven was a rare piece of sunshine in her usually dull day.

            When Pearl was twenty, Rose gave birth to a baby boy named Steven.  The father was Greg Universe, a musically talented and good-hearted man, who had been Rose’s boyfriend for a number of years.  Originally Rose had planned to turn the gang over in a couple of years and then devote the rest of her life to her son and soon to be husband.  However, word got out about Steven’s existence to a few rival gangs.  In a matter of nights Greg had to flee with their son while Rose was forced to stay and cover their trail.  The rivals had been all too eager to try and exploit Rose of the Rose Thorns’ weakness.  Rose was distraught and internally heartbroken at being unable to be with her son and love, but didn’t show a second of it to the members of her gang.  She did breakdown in front of Pearl once in private, the night after Greg and Steven had made it out of Jersey safely.  Furious, Pearl found out how the rivals had acquired information about Steven, sought out the traitor within their ranks, and brought them before their leader to be judged.  The pink haired woman, though terrifying in her cold demeanor towards her enemies and a mastermind in the underground world of drug trafficking, did not execute the traitor.  She chose to let them leave and join one of the rival gangs they had given the information to.  However, Rose left them with the warning that if they were ever seen or heard from again no such mercy would be extended.  Pearl was both impressed and frustrated at the decision.

            The thin woman vented about her anger at Rose for not properly disposing of a traitor once at a long-time customer as she proved the pureness of her product and total weight.  Yellow eyes glowed in the dim lighting and a smirk formed on round lips.  The tall woman simply inquired on who had betrayed Rose and what had been done with them.  Pearl explained that they had joined the Soup Bowlers.  The blonde, short-haired woman simply stated that Rose was too soft for her own good sometimes.  Pearl thought nothing of the conversation until word spread quickly about the traitor being found dead one morning a few days later.  Their body was twisted and charred from being electrocuted to death along with a large, bloody rhombus carved deeply into the middle their chest.  The thin woman nearly vomited at the horrid sight.  Angry, the Soup Bowlers accused Rose of setting the whole thing up instead of taking care of it herself.  Rose powerfully countered that she had no involvement in the individual’s painful demise.  Pearl stood silently off to the side, she never told anyone about her brief conversation, but it had been made crystal clear how the Diamond felt about traitors.  The only good traitor was a dead one.

            The pale woman’s attention was pulled to the present and to the unwelcome figure approaching in front of her.  She prepared her snarl and leveled the tall, dark cop with a sharp glare.

            “I’m not here to arrest you or tell you to leave,” Garnet stated as she raised her hands up.

            “Then why the fuck are you here?”

            “I wanted to ask your professional opinion on something,” the curly haired woman stated as she reached for the small bag in her belt.

            “Professional opinion?  You’re a despicable human being and you ultimately only care about yourself.” Pearl sneered.

            Garnet clenched her teeth and held back her retort.

            “I actually wanted your professional opinion on this,” she explained as she pulled out the small bag from her belt.

            At first Pearl refused to look at it, simply ignoring her.

            “I’ll be gone quicker if you just look at it.”

            Light blue eyes rolled around dramatically.  The dark cop held the bag out further for her inspection.  Pale, bony fingers picked it up and looked at the crystals contained within.

            “What about it?”

            “I want to know what kind of quality it is.”

            “How would I know anything about that?  I don’t even know what this is,” Pearl threw the bag back at her and looked away; folding her arms across her small chest.

            Garnet caught the bag easily with one hand.  “Yes you do.  I know what you did for your work back when we were dating,” came her low accented voice.

            The loiterer snapped her head back to look at the sunglasses wearing cop with a mix of horror and surprise.

            “How did-”

            “After you broke up with me I had a lot of time to think and put two and two together,” a sad chuckle escaped full lips.  “It was really obvious; I must have been pretty deep in denial about it.”

            Pearl frowned.  “So, why should I help you?”

            “About five grams of this was left nearby the high school.  Guess who found it?”

            “You did.”

            “Peridot and Amethyst.”

            The pale woman frowned.

            “You know what this does to people as well as I do, and I know you care about Amethyst.  I want to put whoever did this behind bars and I want your help.”

            “So you can get a better bonus at the end of the year for all of the baddies you put away?” Pearl scoffed.  “Not a chance, figure it out yourself.”

            “We don’t get bonuses for solving cases, Pearl.  I’m not in this occupation for the money or recognition.”

            “Yeah right, either way I’m not going to help you stroke your ego.”

            “This isn’t about me, it’s about finding out whoever left this out so young teens like Amethyst might find it and use it.  I want to help keep the streets clean.”

            “You’re so full of shit,” Pearl sighed.  “But I don’t want to waste any more time arguing with you.  So I’ll look at it, only for Amethyst’s sake.  I don’t give a fuck about you.”

            “You’ve made that clear plenty of times,” Garnet muttered.

            The pale woman ignored the comment, took the bag from Garnet’s hand, and examined the meth again.  She took out a couple of the larger crystals and carefully smelled and inspected them.

            “I don’t have my equipment I used to test this stuff, but I can at least tell that it’s a bunch of shit.  Quickly and cheaply made.  Someone just trying it out for the first time wouldn’t know the difference between the varying percentages of purity.  Whoever put this out wasn’t trying to impress anyone and was trying to avoid losing a lot of money if no one got hooked from it.”

            The curly haired woman nodded and recollected the evidence from Pearl.  “Anyone come to mind that still might be in the business?  Someone willing to try this recruitment technique?”

            “How would I know?  I’ve been out of the business for some time,” the pale woman snapped.

            Garnet held up her hands.  “That’s good to hear at least,” came the response.

            “Are you done?”

            “Yes.  Thank you Pearl.  I’ll leave you alone now.”

            “You better.”

            Pearl watched the athletic figure walk away.  She sighed and took another drag from her cigarette.  It had been a while since she had seen meth crystals.

 


	7. The Distracted Cook

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are back in the past! Time to learn more about Pearl and the Rose Thorns. (and who knows, maybe a Diamond might show up)
> 
> Also, a small warning for graphic violence contained in this chapter (I wont be using my typical markers since it's very brief).

^^^^^^

Pearl’s performance in her job slips due to her involvement with Garnet.

^^^^^^

 

            Pearl- [Let’s hang out]

            Garnet GF- [Where?]

            Pearl- [My place]

            Garnet GF- [When?]

            Pearl- [When do you get off work tomorrow?]

            Garnet GF- [6pm.  I can be at your place by 7ish.]

            Pearl- [Deal, bring Chinese.]

            Garnet GF- [Got it B)]

 

            The thin woman jumped towards the door when she heard the familiar knock.  Garnet stood in the doorway with a bag of carry out Chinese food and was wearing the flannel shirt Pearl had given her for their six-month anniversary of being “official” only a few weeks ago.  The shirt had a silver, black, white, and purple plaid pattern.  Black and white being the wide stripes while the silver and purple added cool thin accents to it.  It looked amazing on Garnet.

            “You gonna let me in or are you just going to stare at me?” came the tease.

            Pearl blushed and then stepped aside, motioning for her to come in.  The attractive woman set the food out on the coffee table and took a seat on the worn couch.  Light blue eyes quickly picked out her food as she joined the other on the sofa; her small frame landing right next to the larger and warmer body.  Steamed vegetables, honey walnut shrimp, and beef and broccoli.  Nimble fingers quickly picked out the pieces of beef with her chopsticks and tossed them into Garnet’s food, she just liked the broccoli.  Chopsticks grabbed and raised a hot vegetable towards the partially opened mouth.  Pearl blew on it for a second before deciding to wait a minute for it to properly cool down.  The last thing she wanted to do was burn her tongue.  Off to her side Garnet was starting to gather a mass of Chow Mein in her chopsticks.  The pale woman reached up and turned the darker woman’s face sideways for a brief kiss on the lips.  She pulled away for a second just to lean in for another.  A smile crossed Garnet’s features as she mirrored the gesture.  Pearl returned her attention to her food.  Satisfied that the vegetables were cool enough to consume, she plucked one up and popped it into her mouth; only to have to move it around quickly inside her mouth and blow on it.  It was still just a little too hot.

            “What were you wanting to do tonight?”  Garnet asked between bites.

            “Besides eating?”

            A nod.

            “I was just thinking of watching some lame movie on Netflix and chilling on the couch.”

            “Really?” a thick, black, eyebrow was raised at her.

            “Yeah, I was just wanting to sit back and relax with your company.  Why?”

            “Nothing, I’m happy with doing that as well.  It’s been a crazy week at work.”

            “Lots of stuff happening?”

            “M-hm,” Garnet nodded.

            After surfing through the options on Netflix, the two finally decided on an action/adventure movie that they partially paid attention to.  Mostly they just laid on the couch together silently.  Pearl let out a soft sigh as she lay on top of Garnet, her ear close enough to the woman’s heart that she could pick up the rhythmic sounds of the strong organ pumping blood.  Arms were wrapped around her, large hands resting on her hips.  Several minutes later, one hand moved to tip her chin up so her eyes met the deep brown ones staring back at her.

            “I love you,” Garnet stated, her voice steady and deep, not a shred of hesitation.

            Pearl looked at her with confusion and pulled back slightly.  “Why would you say that?”

            Full lips turned up into a soft smile, a low chuckle rumbled from her chest.  “Because I mean it.”

            The thin woman moved backward until she was sitting on the couch between Garnet’s defined calves.  The taller woman followed, sitting up as well.  Pearl frowned and looked away.

            “I-I, I don’t know what to say,” was her response.

            “You don’t have to say it just because I did.  You can say it whenever you’re ready to.”

            “Why did you say it?”

            Garnet leaned back against the armrest of the couch.  “Because I wanted to.  I wanted you to know that I loved you.  I’m not too offended or hurt that you didn’t say it in return, Pearl.”

            “Why would you love someone like me?” her voice was hoarse and barely louder than a whisper.

            Warm arms wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her against the familiar frame.

            “There are many reasons.  I enjoy your company, your sarcastic approach to things and humor, you are intelligent and can give me a run for my money in a debate, you care about things even though you try hard not to show it, you are attractive,” she said in a lower tone. “you go along with my ‘childish’ ideas, you contribute to our relationship, I could go on.”

            A soft kiss was pressed against the back of her neck as she reluctantly sat held captive in the embrace.

            “You don’t know me,” Pearl rebutted.

            “I don’t know you?  After one and a half years?” another chuckle.  “Sure I don’t know everything about you, but I feel I know you well enough.”

            “I don’t know you.”

            “You can always remedy that, I’m pretty open with you.”

            “Where do you work?” the pale woman tried.

            “Where do you work?” Garnet answered, a small smile on her lips.

            “You’re not seriously going to stick to that, are you?”

            “I’m ready to tell you whenever you’re ready to tell me.”

            Pearl groaned and pushed the larger woman back against the couch.  “Not today.”

            The two settled back into their previous position; Pearl slowly drifting off to the beating of Garnet’s heart.

 

            Light blue eyes fluttered open at the sound of the front door opening and closing.  She carefully sat up as S walked into the small kitchen, obviously displeased about something.  Netflix pointlessly scrolled through options in the background.

            “Glad I didn’t come in on you two fucking,” S growled.

            “Good evening to you too,” Pearl returned, not wanting to deal with her roommate’s attitude.

            “It’s 2am, you should probably send your girlfriend home so she can get up for work.”

            “Shit, it’s that late already?”

            “Yeah.  Speaking of work…”  S moved so she was standing in front of Pearl.  “Is she asleep?” she motioned to Garnet.

            Pearl leaned down and checked the athletic woman’s breathing and heartbeat.  “Yes, she’s a heavy sleeper.”

            The pink haired woman nodded.  “The month is already half over and you haven’t made anything for what our main customer ordered.  From the looks of it you haven’t even started.”

            “Oh get off my ass, I’ll have it all ready in time.”

            “I’m not the only one who’s expressed concern, Rose has commented on how you’re hardly around anymore aside from coming in for work.”

            “I’ve been busy,” Pearl defended.

            “Yeah, I can tell,” S pointedly glanced at Garnet.

            “Don’t worry, I’ll be in today and I’ll perform just as I’ve always done,” Pearl rolled her eyes as she turned to lay back on the sleeping figure.

            “Good.”  With that the curvy roommate walked back into the kitchen and pulled out some leftovers.

            The strawberry blonde tried to go back to sleep but her mind was already running through the numbers for the large batch she needed to make.  In a few minutes, the form under her stirred.  Garnet sat the both of them up and looked around bleary eyed.

            “How long was I out?” she asked as she rubbed one of her eyes with the palm of her hand.

            “It’s two-thirty am.  When do you have work?”

            “At 8.  I should probably get out of here before your roommate gets ticked.”

            “She already is, but this time more at me,” Pearl shrugged.

            “Oh…”

            Garnet quickly cleaned up the remains of their food with Pearl’s help.  In minutes, she was heading out the door.  Before she left, the dark woman leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

            “I love you, Pearl,” came the soft words.

            This time Pearl blushed, looking away.  She didn’t say anything in reply, but she returned the kiss with one of her own.  With a smile and a wave, Garnet left.  The pale woman clenched her hand against her chest.  A warmth slowly spread through her thin frame.  While it had been hard to hear those words, it had felt nice at the same time.

 

            A few hours later the thin woman arrived at the old building.  She exhaled the smoke from her cigarette into the air.  Pale hands were shoved into pockets as she walked up to the door and muttered the password.

            “Pearl!” Rose smiled as she saw the smaller woman appear in her office.

            “Good morning, Rose,” Pearl smiled.

            “It’s good to see you, how have you been?”

            “Well.  Has the order changed at all or is she still wanting 32kg?”

            “Yes, she hasn’t upped it at all, but mentioned that she might need to soon.”

            “I see.  Well I’ll be down in the basement cooking, if we are short on any supplies I’ll let S know.”

            “Thank you, Pearl, be safe,” Rose finished as she gave Pearl a tight hug.

            “You know I am.”

 

            For a little while the thin woman was able to better balance her attention between her work, spending time with Rose and the Rose Thorns, and her girlfriend Garnet.  Even with the time being spread out more fairly, Pearl couldn’t say her attention was always where it should be.  Ever since Garnet had begun saying “I love you”, the pale woman had been trying to figure out how she felt about the woman.  Love was a complicated emotion and she was afraid of taking that step and opening herself up to that vulnerability.  Strong emotions made it easier to get hurt and to be hurt deeply.  Pearl wanted to avoid that risk as much as possible.

 

            The meeting location was a simple office building, one of those small basically equipped structures that people rented out to try and start their company; only to have to move or shut down in a year or two.  Rose easily carried the medium sized cardboard box and Pearl walked with her; one hand holding onto her aluminum briefcase and the other shoved into the pocket of her leather jacket.  In her peripherals, she could see their driver sitting back in the car, one of their burly men casually strolling around, another enjoying a cigarette by some trees, and the final one walking just a few feet behind them.  From the looks and sounds of it, the business area was fairly empty, but it never hurt to be careful.  The large pink-haired woman looked down at Pearl and smiled.

            “Everything is going to be ok,” she reassured.

            Their one guard stopped at the entrance to the building and took his post.  As they walked through the first set of doors the two were greeted by three men and one woman, all dressed in similar attire; black suits, dark sunglasses, yellow dress shirts, straight posture, and serious expressions.  Pearl cringed as they were flanked, and silently escorted through the small lobby’s doors into a work area big enough for a few cubicles.  The room was bare except for the stiff carpet on the floor.  Ahead was the entrance to the storage area of the business unit.  Three distinct pops were heard only a couple of seconds apart.  Several tense minutes passed.  Another well-dressed man opened the door and motioned for them to enter.

            “Shitty dealers are a waste to deal with,” came the familiar cold voice.

            Light blue eyes were pulled down to the slowly growing pool of red liquid oozing out of three skulls and up the wall where splatters of blood and grey matter clung to the white washed surface.  Fresh, lifeless corpses lay on the ground only a few feet away from the foldable table and matching chairs.

            “Clean this mess up,” the tall, imposing woman in a yellow suit ordered as she casually put her handgun back into her suit jacket and cleaned off a few specks of blood on her with a black hand towel.  “Siri, where is the closest pig farm?  I want to buy some fresh pork for my dinner.”

            The uniformed men and women standing nearby began to silently move the corpses and clean the area.

            _“Ok, here are several results I found for you.”_ the device chimed out.

Gleaming, yellow eyes scanned through the list on her phone.  “Divide them into eighths and drop them into The William’s Farm pig pens, I’m sure the animals could use the extra meat.  And I want this place spotless, no trace should be left.”

            A small, short-haired blonde woman stood next to her quickly jotting down the orders and location.

            “Harold, take their car and drive it off somewhere remote and call for a pickup, be careful to not leave any evidence,” the woman in the yellow suit continued.  She rolled her wide shoulders back and turned to face the two newcomers.  “Rose, good to see you,” came the pleasant, formal greeting.

            “Same here, how are you doing Yellow Diamond?” the leader of the Rose Thorns easily responded.

            “Well enough.  Nice to see you as well, Pearl,” Yellow Diamond addressed the thin woman.

            “Oh, yes, good to see you too,” Pearl coughed, forcing her eyes away from the mess on the floor.

            “Have a seat, I assume you brought all of what I ordered?”

            “Yes, 50kg,” Rose nodded as she effortlessly set the heavy box on the table and took a seat; Pearl followed suit, setting her briefcase by her feet.

            A scale was placed on the table by the small woman.  Yellow Diamond opened up the cardboard box and took out one of the bags of crystallized meth.  She extended her hand out and Pearl dropped one empty plastic bag and twist tie into her hand.  The two items were placed on the scale and a zero was set.  Each bag was then placed on the scale, weighed, and then recorded.  After a few minutes, all 25 2kg bags had been measured.

            “Almost right on the dot,” Yellow Diamond slyly smiled.

            “After testing it will be closer to 50kg, any extra you can keep free of charge,” Rose smoothly stated.

            An appreciative nod was given in response.  Five bags were then picked out and passed over to Pearl.  The thin woman set her briefcase on the table and took out her equipment.  It only took a couple of minutes to set up the simple chemical test.  One crystal from each bag would be dropped into the solution and it would dissolve and turn the solution a shade of green.  The lighter the green the purer the meth crystal was.  Pearl would then take a drop of the solution and put it into one of the five small, clear, plastic disks connected in a row at the base and label it with a permanent marker.  The process would be repeated for each of the five randomly selected bags.  A small smirk of satisfaction crossed the tall woman’s face as each of the five solutions turned into a faint green hue.

            “Excellent, Frank has your money, feel free to take the time to count it out.  At our agreed rate of $40 per gram, that puts you at 2 million for this month,” Yellow Diamond said with a wave of her hand.

            The bodyguards put the meth back in the brown box and replaced it with a briefcase filled with 100 dollar bills.  Rose began to count it out as Pearl put away her chemicals.

            “It’s nice to have great quality delivered consistently, it’s a real bother to have to babysit someone on what they bring to fill my order,” a lightly tanned hand gestured towards the spotless area where the three bodies had been lying only a few minutes ago.  “This was the third time they had delivered a subpar product.  I don’t have the patience or time to deal with that kind of disrespect.  I appreciate your willingness to meet with me at a location farther away than usual to make your delivery, despite it being over a week late.”  Yellow eyes flickered over to look at them both directly.  The powerful woman sat up straight and leveled Rose and Pearl with her intense gaze.

            Pearl swallowed the large lump forming in her throat, her hands trembling, her body calling out for the calming chemicals of a cigarette.

            “I am willing to overlook this anomaly due to your impeccable record.  However, if this trend continues I will address it accordingly.”

            “The increase in quantity was a bit of a surprise, but we will be better prepared for this month’s order,” Rose easily answered through the thick tension in the air.

            “I sure hope so.  My small reserves were depleted to almost nothing.  The first and third weeks of the month are my busiest.  Payday always brings about a spike in cash flow,” Yellow Diamond replied, her tone as sharp and cold as a knife.  “As a result, for this month only I will need to double my order.  Both to be ready for next month and to replenish and build my reserves.  Will that be an issue?”

            The large curvy woman turned to Pearl.  “Will you be able to make that much in three weeks?”

            Pearl did a few quick calculations in her head.  If they had all the materials, then she could.  She would practically be cooking for the entire three weeks, but she could do it.

            “Yes, I can handle it.  The quality will not drop, I will make sure of that,” the pale woman announced.

            “Very good, I will inform you of our next meeting location at the end of this month,” Yellow Diamond finalized with a smile.  “Has everything come out on your end?”

            Rose nodded.  “Thank you, you’ve fulfilled your end of the deal as usual.”

            The short haired blonde nodded and stood up; Rose and Pearl quickly following suit.  “It’s always a pleasure doing business with you Rose.”

            Rose and Pearl turned to walk away when the tall woman stepped between them, matching their pace as they moved towards the exit.

            “You have been an excellent supplier for me for several years.  There were a few rough months in the beginning as your cook figured out her method, but we are well passed that.”

            A cold, strong hand was placed on Pearl’s shoulder.

            “It takes time and money to find replacement suppliers, I’m already not looking forward to having to replace the ones I lost today.  You have to locate, test, and negotiate with a whole new group of people that you have no history with,” Yellow Diamond sighed.  “At least I won’t have to look anywhere else for what you provide.”

            They had arrived at the exit.  Pearl was slowly and forcibly turned to face the woman in the yellow suit.  Sharp yellow eyes accented with wide brushes of black eyeliner bored down into her own.  The pale woman could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

            “Don’t disappoint me again.”

            The unsaid threat hung heavily in the air between them.

            “It won’t happen again,” Pearl promised, trying her best to maintain eye contact and to not shake off the firm hand clamped to her shoulder.

            Yellow Diamond nodded and a smile appeared in the corner of her round lips.

            “Have a safe drive home.”

            As the two walked back towards their car the tension in the pale woman’s shoulders only eased slightly.  It was all her fault; she hadn’t checked the order quantity and had taken her time in making the meth.  The result was that all of it was late.  Yellow Diamond was not a woman to upset, and Pearl was eternally grateful for how Rose handled the situation.  The curvy woman had informed their customer of the needed time extension, and quickly agreed to meet up a couple states away for the drop off.  Things could have gone a lot worse.

            “I’m sorry,” she whispered as they sat in the back of the car.

            The large, pale woman pulled her in for a tight hug.  “You did well, you were composed and you gave her product she couldn’t refuse.  I know you’ve been busy elsewhere lately, but I need you to refocus.  Not just for the cooking, but for your other position as well.  The Dumpster Jumpers have been wanting to negotiate possible terms for combining forces to combat the increased pressure we have both been receiving from the police.  I need you to be there with me and S, you always provide good questions and notice things that I do not.”

            “I will Rose, I promise.”

            Rose smiled and released her.  “Thankfully, S has established some connections with a chemical company and has found easy ways to buy what we need in bulk.  Let me know how much we need as soon as possible so you are not held back by the lack of supplies.”

            “Ok, I will work on that as soon as we get back.”

 

            Pearl- [A lot has come in for work, I’m going to be really busy this month.]

            Garnet GF- [Big order? Or something like that?]

            Pearl- [Yeah, sorry, I’ll let you know when I’m available to spend time with you again.]

            Garnet GF- [Thanks for letting me know.  Is there anything I can do for you?]

            The strawberry blonde scratched her chin and pondered the question.

            Pearl- [Yes, there is.]

 

            The thin woman exhaled heavily as she pulled off her gas mask.  She stretched out and began to remove parts of the hazmat suit she was wearing.  After nearly ten hours of cooking it was time for a break.  Booted feet thumped loudly against the stairs as the wearer came down to the landing Pearl was on between the basement and first floor.  S appeared holding a plastic bag and a brown bag.

            “How the hell did Garnet know I was just about to head off from our apartment to your work?” she greeted her.

            Pearl took the plastic bag and inspected what was inside.  “I told her you would be leaving in thirty minutes and that you could drop the food off at my work.  She has excellent timing.”

            A wide simile appeared on her face.  Salmon baked with a honey mustard, pecan, and bread crumb topping with wild rice, and green beans were in the plastic container.  The food was still warm.  She pulled out the fork and napkins and began to dig in, taking a seat on the concrete landing.  S pulled out what was in the brown bag, her eyebrows shot up into her hair.

            “Cookies?  Chocolate chip cookies?”

            “Don’t get jealous, S,” Pearl smirked, “You can have a couple, there should be plenty.”

            Her friend pulled out one and bit into it as she sat down next to her.  “I hate how lucky you are, but at the same time I’m relieved and happy.  I thought this thing you had with her was just going to end badly or pull you away from us, but neither has happened,” S turned and smiled at Pearl.

            “Is that why you’ve been giving me so much shit about dating her?” the cook said between bites.

            “Yeah, it was just my worry and protectiveness for my friend coming out in a rude manner, along with a little bit of jealousy,” S added with a chuckle.  “I’ve also been impressed with how you were able to get that order ready for Yellow Diamond without too much delay and that you’re already back to fill her next one.”  Green eyes looked up the flight of stairs as tousled pink hair was rested against the wall.  “Rose has been training me a lot lately, she’s been teaching me everything she knows and showing me how she comes to decisions on things for the Rose Thorns.  I don’t know what she’s planning yet, but I feel like she might be getting me ready to fill her position or at least take more of the burden off of her.”

            Pearl stopped eating and stared at her friend.  Thin eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

            “That would make sense,” Pearl said slowly as she turned back to her food.

            “Really?”

            “Yeah, Rose mentioned once this past month that she would like to leave and reunite with Greg and Steven.  Though she really didn’t say much more than that and just laughed it off saying that things would just fall apart if she abruptly left.”

            S’s face became serious.  “Could she be planning on leaving the Rose Thorns and trying to live a normal life with wherever the two are?”

            “She does know where they are, and technically I do too.”

            “What?!  Seriously?  Where are they?”

            The strawberry blonde shook her head.  “Not telling, Rose swore me to secrecy.”

            “Dammit,” S sighed.  “But she would love that, being with them again.  What about you?  If Rose left, would you leave too?”

            Pearl looked away.  “I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it.”

            “Well, I’d want you to stay, and not just because you can cook really well, but because you’ve been with us for a long time, almost as long as I have.”

            “Thanks,” the thin woman smirked.  “I’m going to take a nap then I’m going to start another batch,” she informed as she stood up and collected her trash.

            S grabbed one more cookie before surrendering the bag of treats.  “Alright, the rest of your needed supplies should be here by the end of the week, so hopefully you have enough to keep cooking until then.”

            “Good to know.”

            “Also, we got a meeting with the Dumpster Jumpers next week, Rose wants you there.”

            Pearl nodded and walked up the stairs; S following only a few steps behind.

 

            Faint, black, digital numbers changed back and forth for a few instances before settling on the scale.  Thin fingers quickly entered the final number into the note opened on the smart phone.  The bag of meth was then placed into the open cardboard box and another was dropped onto the scale.  Pearl quickly added the next bag’s weight and let out a sigh of relief.  After weighing all of the small bags three times over, she had ended with the same total each time.  102kg.  She taped up the five boxes containing 20kg each and set the extra bag of 2kg into her aluminum briefcase.  Several vertebrae cracked as the lithe woman stood up and stretched.  Finally, she was done.  Not only had she finished everything for Yellow Diamond, but the 10kg they sold to other customers as well.  The basement was a mess.  In one far corner was a pile of trash that had several plastic containers and Styrofoam clamshells.  Pearl considered returning the containers to Garnet, but she figured they probably reeked of the toxins that had been filling the room for weeks.  No, she was going to buy her girlfriend some replacements instead.  A knock on the door called her attention away from the disgusting mess her lab was in.

            “Come in!” she instinctively shouted through her gas mask.

            The door opened and Rose stepped in.  A wide hand was raised up to cover her nose and mouth.

            “Is everything ready?” came the muffled question.

            “Yes.  Sorry, I forgot to turn on the vent after my last batch.  Please step out and close the door, I’ll open it when it’s safe.”

            Rose nodded and did as instructed.  Pearl quickly walked over to the fireplace that was converted into a powerful vent and turned it on.  Soon the noxious gases would be sucked out and pushed high into the air above the building.  She grabbed a small mixture of chemicals that would help negate the smell, tossed it into the vent, and then dripped the activating ingredient on the powder.  The only door into the basement was also outfitted with rubber seals along all of the edges to help keep the toxins contained.  After about five minutes she took off her mask and tested the air.  It would take another twenty minutes or so to get rid of the smell entirely, but at least now the air was safer to breathe.  She opened the door and informed Rose that she could enter.

            “Those five boxes have everything for Yellow Diamond, the small box over there has everything for all of our other customers, and I have my briefcase set up with everything I need and some extra meth just in case we need it.”

            “Great!  Let’s take those upstairs and load them into the minivan, we have about ten hours before we need to arrive at the meeting spot.”

            “How long is the drive?”

            “Four hours, so I want you to go home, shower, eat something, and get ready.  We will leave promptly at 5pm.”

            Pearl nodded as she grabbed one of the boxes and heaved it onto her shoulder.  Rose stacked two together, picked them up with ease, and practically floated up the stairs.  The thin woman made her way up to the garage and was left huffing and puffing just from carrying the one.  Rose was back with her briefcase and the other two boxes in no time.  Pearl spent a couple of hours doing preliminary cleaning of the basement before catching a ride back to her apartment.  Hot water ran down her body as she scrubbed her skin and hair with lots of soap and shampoo.  It felt so good to wash off all the grime from cooking.  She basically spent a whole half of an hour in the shower.  The showers back at the base were decent, but here she wasn’t worried about using up all the hot water.  S wouldn’t be home for a couple of hours so there would be some hot water ready for her by the time she arrived.  With a fresh pair of clothes on and some good food in her stomach, the strawberry blonde stepped out of the apartment, lit a cigarette, and hopped on the next bus to take her back to the base.

            Pearl stepped into the minivan and crawled to the back seat.  An eyebrow was raised in surprise when she saw both S and Rose take the middle row.

            “S will be joining us, it’s about time she had more experience in facilitating these trades,” Rose casually explained.

            “Ok, just don’t disturb my sleep during the drive,” Pearl shrugged as she sent a glance at her roommate.

            “I wouldn’t dare,” S smirked.

            The pale woman lay down, buckled herself in, and drifted off to sleep as the vehicle began to move.

 

            The trio entered the warehouse escorted by five of Yellow Diamond’s goons.  The woman was conversing with a few others with her trusty secretary at her side, grim expressions all around.  S and Rose set the boxes down on the table, each carrying two, while Pearl barely managed to get the fifth one on before she dropped it.  The walk from the car had been a bit farther than she had anticipated, plus her other arm had been occupied by her briefcase.

            “Alright!” Yellow Diamond quickly turned around and strode over to the single chair on her side of the table.  Heeled boots clicking in time with her fast pace.  “We don’t have much time, there have been a few sightings of police nearby so let’s make this as quick and painless as possible.”

            The small secretary set the scale on the table and the Drug Lord began to weigh all of the bags of meth.  From each box, she handed two bags over to Pearl for testing.  Before long, the last box had been measured and Pearl finished the testing in just two more minutes.  Yellow Diamond frowned as the totals were added up.  S shifted nervously in her seat.  Deathly silence filled the large, vacant, warehouse.

            “You are seventy-five grams short,” came the cold voice.

            Pearl looked up to see Yellow Diamond staring right at her.

            “Th-that doesn’t make sense,” the cook stuttered.  She had measured everything, three times!  How could she have come up short?

            “Was I not crystal clear on how much exactly I needed for this order?!” the businesswoman seethed as she rose from her chair.  “I was forgiving of your tardiness last time, but this under delivery is unacceptable.”

            “I measured everything three times,” Pearl countered, “How could we get such a different value?”

            In a blur of motion, Yellow Diamond reached into her suit jacket and whipped out her gun; pointing it directly in between Pearl’s eyes.

            “I do not make mistakes in my measurements!” she shouted.

            “Wait,” a new steady voice chimed in.

            The Drug Lord’s furious eyes rotated in her skull to stare down the person had dared to speak up.

            “What?” she snapped.

            “Would you mind weighing the empty bag and twist tie one more time?” S evenly asked.

            “Who is this?!” Yellow Diamond directed to Rose, who was standing behind the two.

            “This is S, she is helping me out with my deals,” Rose confidently stated as she rested a comforting hand on S’s shoulder.

            “Alright newbie,” the short-haired blonde played along as she reset the scale and dropped the two previously measured items on it.  “1.5 grams.”

            The smaller pink haired woman nodded.  “Pearl, when measuring, did you zero out your scale with the bag and twist tie before weighing everything?”

            Pearl dropped her face into her hands.  “Fuuuck,” she groaned.  “No.”  She knew she was missing something, something painfully obvious.

            “I see, and 1.5 times the fifty bags and we have our missing seventy-five grams,” S concluded.

            Yellow Diamond frowned and twirled the gun around in her hands for one rotation.  “So we have discovered why, however, that is not going to get me my full order completed now will it?”

            “This will,” the cook stated as she pulled out the spare bag of meth she had inside her aluminum briefcase.

            S and Yellow Diamond stared at the bag for a full three seconds.  Harsh laughter erupted from the Drug Lord’s mouth.  She shook her head and rubbed her temple with her gun wielding hand.  The woman then retook her seat and zeroed out the scale with the bag and twist tie on it.  S helped out by holding the bag open so the missing grams of meth could be poured in.  Pearl tried to calm her heart down.  A warm hand was placed on her shoulder.  The pale woman peaked out between her hands to see Rose smiling down at her.  Everything was going to be ok.

            “Good thing you’re smart enough to cover your ass in case of a rookie mistake like this,” Yellow Diamond coldly chuckled.  “Otherwise I was afraid you would be one cook short of a bakery.”

            “Heh,” Pearl managed as she took the remaining meth back and set it into her case.

            Long fingers snapped and two burly men picked up the boxes of meth while a strong woman placed a medium sized bin on the table.

            “Your payment, 4 million as promised.  Please count it quickly, I don’t want to be here any longer than necessary.”

            The three worked together seamlessly to count up all the cash and put it back into the bin.  Yellow Diamond shook each of their hands and stated that she could contact them again for the drop off for her next order of only 50kg.

            “You should probably give your cook a few days to rest up, she looks exhausted,” the suit wearing woman commented as they parted.

            “She has performed quite well, aside from the one misstep.  I’m sure Pearl will be more than willing to take a few days off,” Rose smiled.

            The ride home was full of excited chatter for a few minutes as Rose praised S in her handling of the situation, and congratulated Pearl in yet another successful delivery of her quality product.  Before long Pearl was fast asleep in the back, a relieved smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you all have a great New Years or New Years Day!
> 
> We will remain in the past for the next chapter.


	8. Highs and Lows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are still in the past! Enjoy this chapter :)
> 
> Warning for explicit sensuality in this chapter. If you want to skip, just watch for the /*** and ***\ markers.

^^^^^^

Pearl has good and bad days.

^^^^^^

 

            It took a whole day to clean up the mess that was in the lab.  A whole agonizing day in a place Pearl didn’t want to be in for at least another week.  Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be possible since she would have to get started on her next batches before long, but she would stay away for a couple of days minimum.  She pulled out her phone and checked it again.  Nothing.  Her text message and phone call to Garnet hadn’t been met with a response yet.  The thin woman pushed out a sigh, focusing to calm her mind that started coming up with all sorts of crazy reasons for why Garnet hadn’t responded in nearly five hours.  They had some contact while Pearl was holed up in the basement, so she didn’t think there would be any reason for Garnet to be mad at her or to have cut off contact.  No, her mind was just panicking.  A couple of hours later her phone buzzed in her pocket as she was sweeping up the last of the trash.

            “Hey…” she greeted in a seductive tone after checking the caller ID.

            A low chuckle came from the other end.  Pearl had missed that sound.

            “Hey,” came the deep and equally sensual voice.  “Sorry for not calling you back, things have been crazy at work.”

            “I can understand that,” the pale woman chuckled.  “I wanted to let you know that I’m going to have a few days off from work.  So, I’m available to spend some time with you, if you’re open.”

            Garnet hummed.  “That news is music to my ears.  I will be off work around 7pm today.  Would you like to come over?”

            “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll be there.”

            “Sounds like a plan.  I gotta go, see you soon.  I love you, Pearl.”

            Pearl smiled.  “Bye.”

            The pale woman enthusiastically swept up the trash and tossed the black bag into the dumpster.  Light blue eyes scrutinized the basement one more time before a satisfied nod was given and she returned to her apartment.  In two hours, Garnet would be off of work.  After a cleansing shower, Pearl made her way to the dark woman’s apartment and posted herself just outside of the door.  Waiting another hour was going to feel like torture, but after nearly five weeks of not seeing or touching her girlfriend, she knew she could endure it.

 

            “So everything has been handled with the case?  If you need anything else to finish off any loose ends you should be able to find it in my reports,” a rich, accented voice drifted up the stairwell.

            Pearl’s ears perked up and she exhaled a puff of smoke.

            “No, I won’t be in until Friday morning, I was supposed to take today off, but I wanted to make sure everything was taken care of.”  Garnet laughed in response to whoever she was talking to.  “Well, I trust you got everything handled Bismuth, besides my girlfriend is coming over tonight so I won’t be by my phone.”

            The familiar mass of black curls came into view as Garnet ascended the last couple of steps.  Brown eyes shone as they spotted her, a wide smile forming on the woman’s face.  Pearl extinguished her cigarette and began walking towards her, her pace increasing with each step.

            “Oh, looks like she’s already here, goodnight Bismuth,” she stated as she hung up.

            Pearl crashed their lips together, grasping the sides of the tall woman’s face and kissing her hungrily.  Strong arms wrapped around her and pulled their bodies flush against one another.

            “My stars I missed you,” Pearl got out between kisses.

/***

            Thick lips smiled against hers as she was picked up and carried towards the apartment door.  She wrapped her legs around Garnet’s waist as one of the tall woman’s large hands cupped her butt cheeks.  As Garnet struggled to open the door, Pearl yanked the tucked in polo out from the khakis and ran her fingers over the smooth, solid body she was aching for.  The door gave way and Garnet quickly stepped in, closing and locking it just as the smaller woman had thrown the dark blue polo on the floor.  In two seconds the bra followed it.  Thin hands massaged the exposed breasts as her thumbs traced circles around stiffening nipples.  Pearl moaned into Garnet’s mouth as their tongues slid against each other in a desperate dance.  Her shirt and bra were tugged over her head as she was pushed against the door.

            “Fuse with me,” came Garnet’s deep husky voice against her lips.

            Pearl’s breath hitched as her mind became fuzzy.

            “Fuse with me, Pearl.”

            Hot breath tickled her ear as wide hips were rolled against her core.  She pulled the woman back in to kiss her passionately.

            “Yes,” she quickly breathed out.  “Yes.”

            Garnet walked back to the bedroom as quickly as she could, kicking off her shoes and socks while pulling off Pearl’s at the same time.  The smaller woman continued to run her fingers all over the dark woman’s smooth skin and kissed every inch of her she could reach.  Heated skin hit the cool comforter as she was laid down on the piece of furniture.  Calloused hands traced her thin body as lips peppered kisses all over her neck and face.  In seconds, her pants were discarded and her panties followed suit.  Pearl quickly reached down to undo Garnet’s belt and shove the interfering piece of tan clothing off.  The large woman on top broke away for a second to take off her boxer briefs and throw them with the rest of the items on the floor.  Finally, fully naked bodies were pressed together as the two lovers kissed each other breathless.

            Strong thighs pushed Pearl’s legs apart as they opened up.  A hand trailed down and fingers began to lightly trace her slick opening.  The pale woman moaned as her hips bucked up, seeking more of the touch.

            “Fuse with me,” Garnet whispered once again.

            Pearl ran one hand down the front of the curly haired woman’s body, enjoying every dip and curve, until she was gently tracing Garnet’s equally wet entrance.  A split second apart the two sets of fingers were pushed inside aching cores.  The pale woman groaned as she felt the slick folds of her partner around her fingers at the same time sturdy fingers were pressed deeply into her.  They moved in time with each other at first, sliding in and out as mouths left hot open kisses all over necks, lips, and shoulders.  Pearl picked up her pace, sliding in a third finger and pressing down roughly on the sensitive nub.  Garnet always took a little longer to come than she did.  They were supposed to come together, that was the goal of fusing.  Hips rolled with the faster pace of her fingers, a higher pitched gasp escaped the dark woman’s lips.  Pearl dug her free hand into the muscular back as a thumb rolled around her clitoris, pushing her to higher levels of ecstasy.  It wouldn’t be long for her.  She reached deeper inside and hit Garnet’s g-spot, working quickly to bring the woman to her climax as rapidly as she was reaching hers.  Walls began to slowly tighten around her digits.  The fingers inside of her picked up their pace in response, driving Pearl dangerously close to the edge.

            “I’m-I’m going to come,” she squeaked out.

            “Hold on for me,” Garnet shakily replied.

            The pale woman dropped her other hand down to massage and pleasure the sensitive nub while the other hand continued to thrust into Garnet.  She could feel her own walls tightening and her body stiffening as a rush of chemicals ran through her body.  Pearl cried out, gasping Garnet’s name just before Garnet hit her orgasm.  The walls around her fingers contracted and Garnet moaned, her name rolling off her tongue.

            Sweat trickled off their bodies as the two stayed in their respective positions for a few long moments.  Heavy breaths filled the air as they recovered from the rush.  Pearl pulled out her fingers and tasted the juices on them as the ones inside of her were removed.  The powerful body laid down on her, Garnet resting on her forearms just enough so Pearl wasn’t uncomfortable with her weight.  A soft kiss was pressed against her lips.

            “I love you,” Garnet stated.

            The strawberry blonde smiled and stared up into the shining brown eyes.  She closed her eyes and pulled her in for a tender kiss in response.

            “I missed you,” Pearl admitted after breaking the kiss.

            The dark woman chuckled.  “I missed you too.”  A second later she added.  “We aren’t one person, or two people…” she waited to see if Pearl would finish the sentence.

            Pearl simply blushed and looked away.

            “We are an intimate experience,” Garnet happily whispered into her ear.  “We fused into something special, something unique and breathtaking.”

            The pale woman giggled lightly, her girlfriend was such a romantic at times.  A low amused hum was the larger woman’s response.  As they lay there, Garnet began to trail kisses across her smaller body, slowly making her way south.  Pearl’s breath was caught in her throat as she felt a tongue run across her center.  She looked down in time to catch Garnet’s lidded gaze before the woman dropped her focus and pressed her lips against Pearl’s inner folds.  Light blue eyes rolled back in her skull.

            _Oh…I’ve missed this…_

***\

 

            Cozy blankets rested against her back and side while her front was pressed up against a warm body.  Fingers splayed out on taught abdominals moved with the rising and falling of the woman’s deep breaths.  Naked legs were woven together and Pearl inhaled the familiar scent of Old Spice.  She nuzzled her cold nose against the warm neck.  One arm draped over her side twitched.  The smaller woman opened her eyes, drinking in the sight that greeted her.  Early morning rays drifted through the blinds and cast stripes of gold across ebony skin and black curls.  Pearl had to hold in her giggle as she noticed Garnet’s resting serious face; thick lips drawn in a straight line, and eyebrows as level as a ruler.  She wanted to trace the beautiful woman’s features with her fingers.  Suddenly the arms around her tightened their grip and she was smothered by the wild mane of curls as she was rolled onto her back.

            “Good morning,” Garnet mumbled into the side of her neck.

            “Morning.”

            The dark woman propped herself up and leaned forward to give Pearl a quick kiss.  A hand pushed Garnet away right afterwards.

            “Eugh, morning breath,” Pearl complained.

            “Was it something I ate last night?” Garnet teased.

            “Oh hush!” the smaller woman shoved her playfully.

            Garnet tried to lean in again, but Pearl pushed her away.  They ended up rolling until the smaller of the two was on top straddling the other and pinning Garnet’s hands above her head against the pillows, fingers intertwined.    Lovers stared at each other for a few moments.

            “What do you want for breakfast?” the curly haired woman inquired.

            “Besides you?” a thin eyebrow was raised up.

            A low chuckle.  “When was the last time you ate?”

            “Last night.”

            Brown eyes rolled in their sockets.  “I walked into that one.  I meant actual food.”

            “I don’t remember.”

            “Any preferences?  I’m pretty hungry.”

            “Something quick,” Pearl shrugged.

            Garnet made an attempt to sit up, but Pearl resisted, a side-ways grin appearing on her face.  A thick eyebrow rose up in response.  The pale woman pushed down as hard as she could.  Defined muscles tensed as Garnet sat up, easily breaking through Pearl’s hold, and pinned her against the mattress.

            “Alright, I’m gonna shower then make some pancakes,” the athletic woman stated as she gave Pearl a quick kiss on the cheek before grabbing some clothes and heading into the bathroom.

            The strawberry blonde stretched out on the bed and closed her eyes for a few minutes, her body was tired in all of the best ways possible.  Waking up with Garnet had to be one of the best ways for her to start her mini vacation from work.  At the sound of her girlfriend exiting the shower, Pearl got up and rummaged through the dark woman’s dresser.  She picked out some sweatpants and a sweatshirt to put on after her shower.  In the bathroom, there had been a couple of changes over the year or so.  Pearl’s preferred cleaning and self-maintenance products, along with a towel rack and towels just for her had appeared in the bathroom.

            A while later Pearl exited the bathroom and was greeted by the smell of fresh pancakes and sizzling onions and peppers.  She watched while Garnet poured the whisked eggs into the frying pan.  The pale woman set the table for the two of them and tried to wait.  However, in a couple of minutes she got bored so she just walked over and hugged Garnet from behind, resting her forehead in between the woman’s shoulder blades and tracing her lower abdominals with the pads of her fingers.

            “It’s almost done,” came the reassuring voice.

            “When do you have to leave for work?”

            “Not for another twenty hours, so we have time.”

            Pearl hummed her approval of the news.  The two enjoyed their breakfast together and chatted on the couch after cleaning up.  Garnet explained how she had taken a few extra shifts at work while Pearl was busy with hers.  They described their work in general enough terms so the other would have a hard time pinpointing out what they actually did.  It didn’t take long before the two were wrapped up in each other’s arms.  As they passionately kissed, Pearl considered the idea of telling Garnet how she felt about her, but the words died before they could reach her throat.  There would be time, she would tell her when she was ready.

 

            Life, for the most part, returned to normal for Pearl during the following few months.  There were a couple of changes, most notably in the attempts for collaboration with the Dumpster Jumpers.  The first meeting several weeks ago, right when Pearl was cooking over 100kg of meth, was a disaster.  Rose had tried to keep the discussion civil, but it soon went south as accusations were thrown back and forth.  They would say the Rose Thorns were cutting into their drug dealing; the Rose Thorns would state that the Dumpster Jumpers were overstepping their physical boundaries and doing business on their turf.  In the following weeks, the Dumpster Jumpers were hit hard.  Three of their dealers had all been caught, two guards had been injured, two other guards had been convicted, and one middle management individual had been almost arrested.  Needless to say, the gang approached Rose again to try and work together to combat the pressure they were feeling from the police.  Their leader, Metal Bin, promised things would go smoother and that it wouldn’t be a repeat of last time.  In that time Pearl celebrated her one year anniversary with Garnet; a special night that she didn’t want to ever forget.

            The second meeting went well.  Rose gained the knowledge of which members of the police were on the Dumpster Jumper’s payroll and she provided safer areas to make deals within her territory.  For a couple of weeks things went better for both gangs.  Unfortunately, the calm didn’t last long.  The previously safe areas were now riddled with patrols.  S barely made it out from a deal that had been busted.  She had to run several blocks to escape a burly cop with dreadlocks; the drugs that were supposed to be traded tucked into her jacket.  Metal Bin said she was lucky that she hadn’t been pursued by the cop they nicknamed Speedy, otherwise she wouldn’t have made it back.  Rose was furious, they had lost two of their best guards that night.  S suspected that someone was leaking information to the police.  There had to be a mole in one or both of the gangs.  Even Pearl had to cook off base for a little while since the area nearby had been experiencing a higher influx of police patrols.  The added stress of the chaos within the Rose Thorns, along with Garnet having to work longer hours and some stress in their relationship, only made Pearl’s disposition sour.

 

            “The area is secure, ma’am,” Chuck informed as he spoke to the barely opened window of the minivan as he walked by.

            “Thank you,” Rose smiled faintly.

            Once Chuck was out of sight, Rose stepped out and made her way towards the large warehouse a couple of blocks away.  Pearl followed close behind her, a hoodie under her leather jacket covering her head.  Light blue eyes constantly scanned the area.  Inside of the warehouse they met up with S and a number of their guards.  Pearl looked up as she walked through the main storage area, the place was crawling with armed Dumpster Jumpers, she scoffed at Chuck’s definition of the area being ‘secure”.  Five flights of stairs later, the group entered the meeting place.  Metal Bin and his gang were already there waiting.  Rose took one of the seats, Pearl and S taking the other two, one each side of her while their men spread out on their half of the room.

            “About time you showed up,” Metal Bin started with a sneer.  “I’ve got Stocky and Speedy on my ass, I don’t need to waste time waiting for you to arrive for these meetings.”

            “We were making sure the area was free of any prying eyes,” Rose frowned.

            “And I’ve lost over fifteen men in the past year, five of them in just last month,” he leaned forward, resting a bony elbow on a thin leg.  “Your ‘safe’ areas helped me lose three of those.”

            “We’ve lost men too in those spots.  They were safe areas until we starting working together,” S fired back.

            “Shut it,” Metal Bin snapped, “I’m talking to Rose, not her mini me.”

            “Why you-!”

            Rose put a hand on S’s shoulder, calmly silencing her protest.

            “What S says is true.  Our areas were safe, but since our collaboration efforts, our gang has had twice as much trouble with the police, if not more,” the large woman evenly spoke.  “We didn’t need to make this agreement with you, but did so because we thought it would be beneficial.  However, it has yet to prove that.”

            “I’m just as pissed as you are about this not working the way we intended.  But I wanted to give you one more chance to contribute something to this collaboration, otherwise I’m calling it off.”

            “You’re giving _us_ one more chance?!” Pearl bristled.  “We were doing just fine before, our cash flow was steady and our encounters with the police were minimal.  Collaborating with you Dumpster Jumpers has only made things harder for us.  You should be thanking us for giving _you_ one more chance to contribute something.”

            “Butt out meth head,” Metal Bin snapped.  “We don’t all have a cozy arrangement with one of the Diamonds.”

            “I’m a meth cook!  I don’t do that shit,” Pearl growled.  “And maybe if you made a quality product, you could work with one too.”

            “Oh like it’s hard to cook meth?  Try having to hide what you’re growing while providing proper moisture, nutrition, and sunlight!  Or even arranging trades across national borders!”

            “Let’s not get off task,” Rose spoke up.  “We are here to discuss how to make the most of this collaboration and take either an offensive or defensive stance against local law enforcement.”

            Metal Bin sat back in his chair, weaving his tan hands together, his wispy blonde hair forming a thin veil over his brown eyes.

            “Go ahead and give us your opinion and ideas, Rose.”

            “We believe the cause of the increased police interference is due to a mole in either of our gangs.  S and I have spent the past week going over each transaction that went south and who knew about them.  So far we have yet to find a suspect within our ranks.  It might be best for you to do the same.  As for future action, we believe that lying low, halting recruiting, and only working with longtime customers until a mole is found or the pressure eases off; to be the ideal course of action.”

            “Of course you would think that, what kind of action is that?  We need to show the police that they can’t shove us around.  A combined attack against them would teach them not to cross us, instead of running, shooting.  We make several fake deals, lure them in and ambush them.  Personally, I’d like to see Stocky and Speedy take a bullet or two to the head.”

            “That isn’t a tactic I support,” Rose frowned.

            “Look, Honey, I can waste my time looking for this mole, or I can use them to spread information for a trap.  Once I’ve got a few pests taken care of, my contacts will regain control of the situation and we will be able to continue our business like before.”

            “And what if the mole knows it’s a trap and informs them?”

            “I’ll make sure my plans are only known with those who have been with me for a long time.  If you lend me some of your trusted individuals, we can make sure everything goes as planned, and this collaboration would have finally been worth something.”

            The large pink haired woman turned to look at her two advisors.  “What are your thoughts?”

            “It’s not our style, but it definitely would work.  Almost every deal has been messed with one way or another so we are assured that they would show up,” Pearl stated.

            “I don’t like it, but I would like to try our idea first.  If we find a mole we can better target what information they get.  Give them false information, make the police lose faith in them and pull them out,” S expressed.

            “That will take time, at the rate things are going half of my gang could be gone before we find this supposed mole,” Metal Bin interjected.

            “We are not going to side with you on this, that is not how we operate,” Rose finalized.

            “I see, you’re all a bunch of backboneless bitches.  Fine then, we will do things our way and you can do things your way.  As of now the collaboration is over, now get out of here.”

            “This is neutral territory; we will leave at our own pace,” the large woman calmly spoke.

            Bright flood lights flashed into the windows of the warehouse where the two gangs were meeting.  Red, blue, and yellow lights flashed along with the spot lights.  A bull horn rang from outside.

            “THIS IS THE POLICE!  WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED!  YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES TO EXIT THE BUILDING WITH YOUR HANDS UP OR WE WILL USE FORCE!”

            “Your mole ratted us out!” Metal Bin fumed as he jumped out of his chair.

            “The mole is on your side!” S argued.  “We didn’t tell anyone besides who is here of this!”

            “Then your mole has to be one of you!”

            The Dumpster Jumper’s leader pulled out a steel revolver and shot the guard behind Rose in the chest.  Everyone was on their feet.  Their guards stepped forward to protect Rose and shot back.  Metal Bin dove behind his men as they engaged.  Tables were turned over, chairs flung as the members of the two gangs tried to find cover as bullets sailed from both sides.  The voice from the bull horn went unheeded.  Pearl located the nearby stairwell and called S and Rose’s attention to it.

            “Go Rose!  We’ll cover for you!” Pearl shouted as she quickly changed out her clip.

            “No, stay behind me,” she growled as she grabbed the table and carried it with her like a shield.

            S fired a couple quick shots at the Dumpster Jumpers as they made their way towards the emergency exit.  Their remaining guards were dropped quickly as one of the opposing gang members pulled out an automatic rifle.  The bullets cut through the cheap metal chairs and tables like butter.  Rose shoved S and Pearl into the stairwell, grunting in pain and hunching over for a moment.  Pearl began to run down the stairs next to S, but turned back once she noticed Rose wasn’t with them.

            “ROSE!” she called out.

            “GO!” the pink haired woman shouted over her shoulder as she braced her table against the door.  “I’ll hold them off!”

            “I’m not leaving you Rose,” Pearl objected as she began to run back up the steps.

            “S, take care of Pearl!” Rose shouted as she shook her head, tears running down the sides of her cheeks.  “Get out of here!”

            “I’m not leaving you-”

            Pearl’s arm was roughly grabbed and she was practically dragged down the stairs by her roommate.

            “What the hell S!  We need to help her!” she cried as she tried to break away from her.

            “She ordered us to go!” S shouted, tears beginning to form in her eyes.  “Don’t make me knock you out.  I’m to make sure you get out of here safely.”

            “WHAT?!”

            “Rose’s back up plan in case things didn’t go well in any deals or meetings was for me to make sure you got out alive,” S explained as they reached the third-floor level.  “The police don’t know who you are, you can make a cleaner escape than any of us.”

            “I didn’t agree to that!” Pearl loudly protested.

            “We know you wouldn’t, shit!”

            The pale woman was shoved to the side and through the door to the second level as three policemen appeared running up the stairs.  S shot a few times to make them take evasive action.  The curvy woman shut and braced the door.

            “Go!  I’m not leaving this door until you’re down the hall and out of sight!” S shouted at her.

            Pearl frowned.  Light blue eyes quickly scanned the area, finding a mop sitting in a yellow bucket by a drinking fountain in the hallway.  She sprinted over, grabbed it, ran back, and shoved it between the door handle and the wall across from the door.

            “Now let’s go!” she grabbed S and pulled her along.

            They could hear the police on the other side banging against the pathetic barricade.  It would only hold for a few more seconds at most.  S and Pearl ran through the narrow hallways of the second floor, quickly finding another set of stairs and descending.  They reached the ground floor and jumped to cover, assessing the situation.  The Dumpster Jumpers and the police were engaged in a shootout in the main storage area of the warehouse.  The gang controlled the high ground with automatic rifles, but they were slowly being pushed back by the police in their riot gear and greater numbers.

            “The main exit is right there.  Stay in the cover of those shelves and watch out for the Dumpster Jumpers moving in the catwalks above.  I’m going to head towards that exit on the other side.  You can slip out unnoticed better than me.  We’ll meet up at our shelter at three am, let the other members know as well.  If I’m not there, assume the worst and take command.”

            “You can’t just expect me to do that!  We go together!”

            “On the count of three we split,” S sadly smiled.

            “S!” she hissed.

            “One.”

            “I hate you for this.”

            “Two…Three.”

            Pearl dashed for the second to last row of pallet filled shelves as S headed for the middle ones.  The pale woman kept her roommate in her sight as they crept along.  One of the Dumpster Jumpers caught sight of the curvy woman and began heading towards S’s back.

            “Oh no you don’t,” Pearl muttered as she sent two shots up at him.

            The man fell down, grasping his side.  S heard the sound and took off towards her exit faster.  Pearl smiled, however a frown quickly replaced it when she noticed those were her last bullets.  She put her gun away in her leather jacket and turned to make her way to the last row of tall, steel shelves.  Gun shots rang out along with all of the shouting and commotion of the shootout.  The pale woman made it to the back row and was about fifty feet away from the exit.  She let out a sigh of relief and started her low walk towards it, keeping her cover by quickly moving from one pallet of merchandise to another.  After only a couple of steps she was tackled from behind; her head slamming against a gloved hand instead of the harsh concrete floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week we jump back to the present. Get ready, things are going to get crazy soon.
> 
> Again, thanks for reading :)


	9. Investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are back in the present! Get ready for some heart pounding action as Garnet continues her case.

^^^^^^

Garnet pursues the culprit behind the appearance of the bag of meth.

^^^^^^

 

            The following days yielded little success for Beach City’s police department, no additional bags were found at the school or any suspicious activity reported.  But that didn’t deter Garnet, she kept a vigilant eye in her patrols and checked up with Amethyst frequently to see how she was doing and to follow up on the homework she had assigned her.  Each different attempt to find a lead was met with a dead end.  Officer Bailey was able to obtain the records from several local stores on specific items that could be easily bought and used to make meth to see if there were any suspiciously large or frequent purchases.  However, no potential leads could be found from sifting carefully through all the data.  After three weeks of no progress Captain Green called for a hold on the case, and for Officer Bailey to focus on her main duties instead.  The drop, the muscular woman reasoned, had been an isolated instance and that they would only waste time and resources searching for a culprit who couldn’t be found.  Frustrated, Garnet reluctantly obeyed orders, but still kept up with Amethyst and Peridot while keeping a watchful eye out.  Two days later, Amethyst came up to her one night while on her usual patrol.  Another bag had been dropped off in the same place.  The short teen had noticed it sitting on the bench early in the morning as she was walking onto the school grounds.  She quickly pulled out one of the bags she had received from Garnet and quarantined the meth inside of it.  Officer Bailey was inwardly ecstatic, and verbally grateful for Amethyst’s critical find.  Even though she couldn’t disclose her plans to the teen, she did promise that she would get Amethyst something in return, a small reward for her help.  They parted ways with Amethyst yelling that she was going to hold Garnet to her promise.  The dark cop only nodded and waved.  With the same location and a time frame to begin searching back from, the dark cop headed back to the station.  After she dropped the bag off at forensics, Garnet began going through the video of the traffic security camera.  Today was a Monday, so the bag could have been left anytime over the weekend when the school was out of session.  The dark woman sat back and prepared herself for a long shift.

            Initially, Captain Green was upset at seeing the dark officer still at work the following morning, but once she heard that another bag of meth had been found, the case was reopened and Garnet was given full permission to pursue any leads.  Monday’s and Sunday’s videos only yielded dozens of screen shots of potential frames to be cross referenced with all of the ones gathered from the first drop.  Forensics came back with nothing for fingerprints, the bag had been wiped clean inside and out.  Any trail they could find would have to be on the limited traffic film.  By now it was Wednesday and Garnet was working through Saturday night’s footage and a massive headache.  The obnoxiously bright screen hurt her eye even through her sunglasses.  She was fast forwarding through the empty street and sidewalk that had been taped, when a lone figure blurred by.  Quick fingers stopped the film, rewound, and watched it in slow motion.  A tall, thin, hooded figure quickly walked over to where the bench resided, disappeared behind the bush for a second and then continued on their way.  It was too short of a break for someone to sit down, and the bench was a few steps out of their intended path.  This had to be the drop-off.  Garnet watched the clip a few more times.  Once the figure reappeared from the bush, there was an ever so slight move in their dark hoodie, most likely looking around to make sure they weren’t seen.  The curly haired officer tracked their movement and pulled a map of the city streets on one half of her screen.  It took only a couple of seconds to pinpoint the next traffic light that might have gotten a glimpse of them.  After pulling up the next light’s film and going to the approximate time frame, the same figure appeared and continued on their journey.  She followed them through each of the cameras, almost losing them once or twice due to not seeing where exactly they turned.  Eventually she came to an end.  The figure walked off into an old, mostly empty, residential area on the outskirts of Beach City.  Garnet wrote as quickly as she could, capturing and writing down each of the frames and time stamps.  She said nothing as she basically ran to her squad car and took off for that area of the city with a printed picture of the last frame the traffic camera caught of the figure.

            Standing in the same spot the paper showed, the officer looked around the area.  It was quiet and still.  Lungs pulled in a large quantity of air before slowly expelling it.  Covered eyes glanced down at her watch.  9:03pm.  Time to comb the area.  She slowly drove around with the window down, taking the time to map out any potential places that could be used for cooking.  By 2:00am Garnet reached a street that had a large abandoned apartment complex on it.  Evidently a number of years ago developers thought more people would want to come live in Beach City, however that was soon proved to be false and the apartments were nothing but a sunk cost.  The tall woman stepped out of her car and began walking around the apartments.  She walked through several of the buildings top to bottom, not finding anything suspicious.  Dumpsters were checked, but they all were empty.  They must be disposing of their trash within the active city.  Each unit was comprised of four floors with four apartments on each level.  All of the hallways and stairwells were inside of the structure along with a small entry way on the first floor to assist in keeping out the cold during the winter months.  The ground level also had a small corridor that led to all of the gas and electricity meters.

            As Garnet made her way towards the back three buildings, she detected a familiar strong odor in the air.  Either a lot of cats liked to do their business in this one spot or there was an active meth lab in one of the remaining apartments.  The one with the strongest smell was investigated first.  She stealthily made her way up and down each level, checking out each apartment.  Each one was locked and none showed signs of a break in.  So, she pressed onto the next one.  The same result.  Garnet checked her watch, 4:15am, her shift would be over in just under two hours.  White teeth were gritted in frustration, the suspect was here, she could feel it.  In the third building, she combed through the place twice.  On her second look through the corridor on the first floor she noticed a plain door.  She hadn’t seen this before.  Large hands quietly opened it up and peered inside.  The door opened up to a concrete stairwell that lead down.  Garnet followed the path and found herself in a basement.  Pipelines for all of the apartments’ water, electricity, and gas were all mapped out along two of the four walls.  The realization abruptly hit her, each apartment was exactly the same, she had missed the basements in all of the other apartments.  Booted feet quickly returned to the previous building she had checked and found the same thing; a medium sized concrete room with pipes and one way in or out.  She silently walked into the apartment unit that had smelt the strongest of the three.

            Where the door should be, there was a large wooden cabinet resting against the wall.  The tile floor had a few scuff marks from the cabinet being moved back and forth several times; a task that most certainly would make considerable noise.  Garnet frowned and crouched down, running her hands along the base of the piece of furniture.  She locked in her core and got her grip on the flat bottom by gently tipping it up and worming her fingers underneath.  Carefully she began to lift it off the ground and tilt it against her body.  Five painstaking side steps were taken in the bottom of the squat, silently moving the 250lb cabinet away from the door.  Legs burned and fingers threatened to slip from the wooden base they were barely grasping, potentially alerting the suspect to her presence.  Inch by inch Garnet lowered it back to the tile, finally letting out the deep breath she had been holding the entire time.  Sweat trickled down her back and she shook out her hands, trying to get her fingers to relax their cramped, hook like form.  In front of her was the missing door that lead down into the basement.  Yellow light seeped out from under the door; another thing the cabinet had been hiding.  The officer tightly wrapped a rubber glove around the door knob, removed it, and placed it into an evidence bag.  After putting one on her own hand, she slowly turned the metal knob.  No lock stopped her.  Her open hand reached down for her gun as her covered gaze looked down the stairwell that was lit from the light coming from the room below.  The smell was even stronger now, noxious gases almost making her cough.  Step by step she made her way down into the basement.  A lone figure stood in a hazmat suit with their back to the stairwell she was on.  Large piles of cold medicine wrappings, coffee filters, matchboxes, and more were littered all over the basement.  On top of the table were vials, plastic containers, beakers, tubes and more.  It was a meth lab with a cook currently working on their next batch.

            “Police! Put your hands up in the air!” her own voice spooked her as it cut through the still air.

            The cook whirled around, recoiling in surprise.  They ignored her order and quickly stepped behind the table, grabbing an edge in the process.

            “I said hands up!” she shouted again, taking aim with her handgun.

            The cook flipped the plastic, foldable table in Garnet’s direction, and dashed off to the side.  Covered eyes widened as the volatile chemicals crashed only a few feet from her and mixed into an explosive concoction.  Intense heat pulsed from the explosion, effectively burning off all of the hair on her arms as she used them to protect her face.  The force of the bomb knocked her completely off her feet and sent her flying back into the concrete steps.  Unforgiving, barely rounded edges crashed against the back of her skull, ribcage, lower back, and butt.  She lay there, unable to move as the figure dashed right by on unsteady feet.  Orange flames reflected in the sunglasses licked at its concrete prison, slowly trying to eat its way out and up towards the delicious wood above.

            Garnet tried to breathe, but all that made it past her lips was a strangled gasp.  Her vest was compressing down on her lungs, forcing all air out of her body.  No!  It was just in her head; she could breathe just fine.  The spongy organs continued to refuse to work properly.  Another attempt to draw in a breath failed.  Her vision slowly began to swim and morph, the flames dancing on the concrete died as a wide puddle of thick red liquid swiftly spread out from where the fire had been. The substance reached out, staining and soaking the concrete around the panicking cop as her right leg lay limply against the stairs.  Officer Bailey vigorously shook her head, blinking rapidly as she tried once again to draw in oxygen.  The puddle of blood steadily evaporated and turned back into growing tongues of fire.  Precious seconds ticked by as Garnet fought against the python wrapped around her chest; effortlessly crushing her torso.  She was free, she could breathe just fine, there was nothing on her vest.  A deep shaky breath brought some life into the dazed figure.  The curly haired officer pushed herself up onto her elbows as another deep breath was taken.  Through the sheer power of will she shook off the python, turned, and began to jog up the stairs.  The door was closed, and after trying the handle and pushing on the door, Garnet found that it was blocked; most likely by the cabinet.  She took the two steps she could on the narrow landing and charged at the blockage.  Her shoulder crashed against the door only opening it slightly before the cabinet fell back against it.  The piece of furniture was leaned against the door; she would have to force the door open enough to tip it back onto its flat base.  Adrenaline coursed through her veins.  The next hit shoved the cabinet halfway up.  Hands braced against the door, a furious growl escaping her lips, she was not going to give up the progress she made.  The cabinet was practically thrown against the wall across from the door as Garnet burst through and sprinted after the suspect.  Once outside of the apartment building, she covered her panting mouth and stood still, trying to listen for any sound of running feet.

            _There!_

It sounded like they were making their escape towards the entrance of the apartment complex.  There had been some cars parked along the street there, she foolishly hadn’t thought anything of them.  Powerful legs took off; her pace steadily reaching a long-distance sprint.  However, only a few strides in she began to limp, her right leg failing to keep the smooth rhythm; a familiar ache settling into the thigh.  Garnet gritted her teeth in frustration.

            _There’s nothing wrong with you!_

Slowly the limp faded as the right leg stopped hurting and began moving as she knew it could.  The officer rounded a corner of an apartment unit, skidding slightly, and finally caught sight of her fleeing suspect.  Two hundred yards at best; she would catch them before they even reached her car at the entrance.  A crazy smile spread across her face as she quickly closed the gap between the two of them.  Wind whistled in her ears and pushed against her front; arms pumping at her sides, hands cutting through the air like knives.  In what seemed like only a few seconds, the officer had caught up with the meth cook and ruthlessly tackled them to the ground.  She instantly took control of their back and wrangled them into a set of handcuffs.

            “You, have, the right, to, remain, silent.  Anything, you, say, can, and, will, be used, against, you,” she got out between gasps.

            Garnet sat on their back as she recovered her breath; her head spinning and body shaking from the effects of the long sprint and sudden adrenaline dump.

            “I am putting you under arrest for the illegal manufacturing of Methamphetamine and as a suspect for leaving bags of meth around Beach City,” she informed them as she slowly stood up, pulling them with her.

            While maintaining her hold on their cuffed hands, she pulled off the hazmat hood and got a good look at their face.  A pale, thin man with blood running from his nose and an abrasion from the asphalt; short, oily, black hair stood out at odd angles.  She guided him towards her squad car.  With some effort, the cook was shoved into the backseat.  Garnet turned to enter the driver’s seat when she stumbled and fell against her car as her legs suddenly gave out.  The world around her was spinning and she felt like throwing up.  She clung to the hood of her car with her remaining strength, waiting out the spell.  Eventually things settled down and she was able regain her feet.  Two dark fingers were pressed against the throbbing area on the back of her skull.  They were brought back into her line of vision tainted with blood.  Garnet stared at her hand for a full ten seconds trying to put two and two together.  All she was able to compute was that she was in no condition to drive.  Officer Bailey made sure her car was locked, even though the back doors couldn’t be opened from the inside anyway, and took a seat on the asphalt; leaning her back against the driver’s side door.  One hand reached down and checked for her gun only to find the holster empty.  Covered eyes glanced to where smoke was beginning to rise; it was back there.  She reached up and opened the channel on her shoulder radio.

            “Officer Bailey calling for back up and fire department assistance.  Location, Oceanside Apartments on the edge of Beach City.  Suspect for meth cooking and growing fire apprehended,” her tired voice projected into the hand-sized device.

            She repeated the call two more times before a response was shouted back at her.

            “Bailey!” Captain Green shouted.  “How?  What the fuck happened?!”

            “Just send me back up, I’ll explain it in my report.”

            Cursing streamed back at her for a few moments.

            “We are on our way, the fire department as well.  What the hell did you do?  There better not be a huge mess to clean up!”

            Garnet simply chuckled and looked up at the dark sky through partially lidded eyes.  She wanted to fall asleep.  The officer shifted around, no, that was the last thing she should do right now.  Right now, she needed to stay awake until the fire and suspect were taken care of properly.

            Dancing red, blue, and yellow lights accompanied the sirens quickly approaching.  The fire engine appeared first, barreling through the entrance and heading back towards the rising clouds of smoke.  A second one stopped in front of her and the Fire Chief hoped out.

            “What kind of fire?” he quickly asked as he ran over to her.

            “Chemical explosion, be careful, started in the basement of one of the units,” Garnet informed as she struggled to get to her feet.

            “Thank you ma’am,” he nodded before he jumped back on the engine and shouted orders at his crew.

            The engine took off, following the same path the first had.

            “Officer Bailey!  What in tarnation is going on here?!” An easily recognizable gruff voice bellowed at her.

            She saluted Jasper as she approached, Officer Lazuli two steps behind.

            “I followed a lead I discovered on the tapes to this area of Beach City.  In the back I caught wind of an odor often caused by meth labs.  After some searching I found this guy cooking up a storm and confronted him.  He then intentionally caused an explosion by throwing all of the chemicals around.  I was stunned from the blast, he tried to get away, but I chased him down and locked him up in my car.  The explosion caused the fire.  Everything should have been caught on my camera, so there shouldn’t be any issue in booking this guy,” Garnet explained as she gestured to the man in the police car.

            Officer Lazuli stared into the back window with a blank expression, tapping the glass a couple of times with her finger.

            “He’s in there, and looks pissed as hell,” the smaller officer commented

            “And why didn’t you call for backup as soon as you thought there might be something going on?” Jasper rounded on the dark cop.

            Officer Bailey shrugged.  “Time.  It would have taken more time and could have given up my element of surprise.”

            “Even when you had a lead from the tapes?  You didn’t think to call then?”

            “It was a wide hunch, I didn’t think I’d actually find them in my first night,” she tried to brush off as she took a step towards Jasper; leaving the car.

            That was a bad idea, her world started jumping and twirling around and there was no nearby solid support for her to brace herself against.  Garnet turned and tried to reach for the hood of her car, but instead a burly arm around her shoulders steadied her.

            “What’s wrong with you?” Captain Green frowned as she pulled the unsteady cop against her side.

            “I hit my head pretty hard in the explosion, didn’t feel safe enough to drive,” the curly haired cop tried to laugh off.

            “Lazuli, take the suspect back to the station and book them.  I’m going to take Officer Bailey to the hospital after checking up on the fire over there.  Call for backup if you think he will be more trouble than you can handle,” the muscular woman commanded as she steered Garnet towards the car she had arrived in.

            “Righto, Captaino,” Lapis responded with a thumbs up.

            “Don’t call me that!” Jasper growled.

            Officer Lazuli simply held her hands out for the keys.  Garnet tossed them to her.  Jasper helped the curly haired woman into the car despite her assurance that she could handle doing that.  They drove over to where the firemen and firewomen were working to put out the fire.  Orange flames jumped out of the first floor windows only to be quickly extinguished by the powerful blasts of water.

            “Good thing those hydrants weren’t cut off from the city’s water line,” Jasper grumbled as she got out of the car.  “Stay in here, I’m going to see if they need anything.”

            Garnet folded her arms across her chest and frowned; irritated at being told what to do like that.  Tired eyes watched as the fire chief and Jasper conversed.  It wouldn’t be long; it probably had taken the fire a good amount of time just to get out of the concrete basement.  Hopefully the damage done to the first floor would be minimal and the building wouldn’t collapse.  The officer rested her head against the headrest only to jerk it away in pain.  She had momentarily forgotten about her injury.  Her mind quickly recalled the feeling of getting slammed against the concrete steps; the feeling of her vest being pushed uncomfortably against her body in the violent impact sent shivers up her spine.

            _Don’t think about that._

Garnet gripped her forearms tighter as she tried to get that feeling out of her mind, but it wouldn’t leave.  Falling, collapsing, crushing.   Deep breaths shortened, the python slowly coiled itself around her torso.  She sat up straight and braced against her thighs, consciously trying to open up her lungs.  The next breath was long and unsteady.  It was compressing down on her, she couldn’t breathe.

            _No, everything is fine.  Nothing is happening.  You can breathe just fine._

Garnet gasped for air, her body was unable to it take in.  She needed to get out of her vest now!  She needed to get the pressure off her.  Trembling hands ripped off her camera and radio.  Fingers fumbled as they raced down the buttons on front.  She had to get it off, she couldn’t breathe, everything was collapsing in on her.

            _Get it off! Get it off!_

            The shirt was thrown off to the side as she desperately tried to rip off the straps that secured her vest onto her body.

            “What the hell are you doing Bailey!”

            The voice broke through her panic as her hands were yanked away and held by Jasper’s.

            “Don’t be stripping in my car!”

            She tried to respond but there was no air to expel and explain why she needed to get it off.  It was crushing her.  Garnet tried to pull her hands away.

            “What’s gotten into you?!  Calm down, Bailey.”

            She broke one hand free and attacked one of the straps around her side.  A broad hand crossed her face, the slap snapping through the atmosphere.  Garnet took a deep breath in surprise.  She stopped moving and just stared out ahead of her through her sunglasses.  Another deep breath was taken in.  Her vest moved with her, not restricting, not crushing, just covering her body and protecting her.

            “Sorry about that,” Jasper mumbled as she scratched the back of her head, “You were freaking me out; you were freaking out.”

            Garnet reveled in her breathing and didn’t say anything in response.  Jasper walked over and got into the driver’s seat.

            “They say they got it all handled, so I’m going to take you to the hospital and check up on Lapis.  What was going on?”

            The dark cop just pulled her shirt back on, buttoning it up silently.

            “Nothing.”

            “Bullshit,” Jasper spat out of the corner of her mouth.

            Several minutes into the drive to the hospital Jasper spoke up.

            “You’re really not going to explain anything?”

            “Yes.”

            The captain muttered a few choice words to herself.  When they arrived at the emergency room Jasper helped escort Garnet into the room; much to her chagrin.  Luckily it didn’t take long for the dark officer to be taken back and examined.

            “My name is Dr. Maheswaran, what is it that you were specifically brought in for?” A woman in her mid-forties with brown skin and dark brown hair that was starting to go grey asked as she stepped into the curtained room.

            “Head injury,” Jasper stated.

            Garnet frowned.  “I can handle this, go check on the suspect.”

            “No, I’m staying until I find out what the hell was going on with you back here.”

            The doctor’s eyes went back and forth between the two.

            “I hit the back of my head,” Garnet explained, “There was blood when I checked the spot.”

            “Let’s take a look,” Dr. Maheswaran simply stated.

            The curly haired woman carefully undid her bun, wincing in the process.  Gloved hands gently searched through the thick mass of hair.

            “I am seeing a considerable amount of blood in your hair.  And a stray bobby pin,” the doctor commented.  “Ah, there it is.  You have a split in your skin, superficial, nothing too deep.  It’s not bleeding much anymore.  You will need a few stitches.  However, before we do anything I want to ask you a few questions and take a look at your eyes.”

            “Alright,” Garnet agreed with some reluctance.

            Dr. Maheswaran stepped in front of the officer and Garnet removed her sunglasses.  A small “o” was briefly formed on the older woman’s lips, she blinked and then leaned closer to examine the injured woman’s eyes.  Several questions were asked about the day, Garnet’s date of birth, and other random questions.  Once the doctor was done examining her, the curly haired woman put her sunglasses back on.

            “You have a concussion.  I am going to order a CT scan to make sure it’s nothing serious that a couple weeks of rest can’t resolve.  It will also give us a good view of your occipital bone so we can make sure there are no fractures in it.  Are you ok with that?”

            “Yes,” came the simple reply.

            “Good.  I’ll go ahead and get that put in for you.  A technician should be by shortly.  Keep this against your wound,” she finished as she handed Garnet a gauze pad.

            Then Dr. Maheswaran briskly exited the area.  Jasper turned to the curly haired woman.

            “What else is missing from your file?” came the complaint.

            “Nothing that should concern you,” Garnet coolly stated

            “Oh, right!”

            “You have access to all of my stats and performance abilities, you have tested them yourself.  Do you really have a reason to be concerned?”

            “I just like to be informed,” Jasper defended.  “And I hate it when there is missing information.”

 

            Before long Garnet was released from the hospital with four stitches and a doctor’s order to avoid any strenuous physical activity for the next two weeks.  The two policewomen headed back to the station.  The man had been identified and locked up.  Travis Hubley, a member of the Jack Crowbars, a gang located in the city just south of Jersey.  He had been cited as a suspect for a number of different crimes, but hadn’t been caught.  Garnet concluded he must have been sent here to get more customers and lie low for a little while.  While the traffic video Officer Bailey was sorting through couldn’t be used to convict him of dropping of the meth bags, the footage from her encounter with him in the basement was plenty to send him to prison for a number of years on the accounts of making illegal drugs, attacking an officer, and arson.  Well into Thursday Garnet was sent home to rest, much to her disappointment.  However, Jasper wasn’t going to budge on the order.  She did let her know that the credit would go to her, and that she would get to help escort him to the prison he would be staying at until the day of his trial.

            At 10:13pm on Thursday, Garnet stepped into her house.  She removed all her gear and put it into her work closet, locking it up.  After a quick shower, the exhausted woman fell onto her bed face first.

            Two days later Travis was carted off to prison and the cases surrounding him were pushed onto the next phase.  Jasper decided that they would keep an eye out for anymore small bags for the next few weeks in case there was more than one individual involved, but they were all confident that the right man had been caught.  Unfortunately, Garnet was assigned to desk duty until her concussion healed, something that frustrated her to no end.  She was also given a stern lecture on working in teams and calling for backup whenever she finds leads like that again.  Captain Green didn’t want Garnet to get unnecessarily hurt and didn’t want a rogue cop in her command.  Garnet accepted the lecture and promised to try and work better in teams for those types of situations.

 

            A ball point pen tapped against a sheet of paper with notes and scribbles all over it.  Officer Bailey sat at the front desk manning the area during the daytime hours.  While no one was coming in to report crimes that ranged from missing items, to property damage, to the occasional missing person, the dark officer worked on the computer, assisting the others with their cases.  The door opened and a broad-shouldered individual walked in.  Arms as thick as trees stuck out from the black and pink tank top they were wearing.  A neat array of shoulder length dreadlocks were held back in a yellow bandana; the bright color contrasting well with the woman’s dark skin.

            “OFFICER BAILEY!” the strong energetic voice boomed.  “WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING SITTING AT A DESK?!”

            Garnet nearly jumped out of her seat in surprise.  A wide grin spread across her face.  She practically ran over to the woman and gave her a brief, tight hug.

            “Bismuth!  It’s so good to see you!  What are you doing here?”

            “Just dropping by to visit you, when I heard that the pesky meth cook from the Jack Crowbars had been nabbed in a small town called Beach City I put my money down that it was you who did it!”  Bismuth held her arms out wide.  “And lo and behold it was you!  Not even seven months out of Jersey and you’ve already busted another.”  Her solid hand clapped Garnet on the back.  “So what are you doing in here?  Why aren’t you out on the streets?”

            “Doctor’s orders along with Captain Green’s, gotta let my concussion heal before I chase down any more baddies.”

            Bismuth laughed, the rich sound rolling from her solid stomach.  “Well then, I guess that’s a decent reason.”

            “So what brings you to sleepy ol’ Beach City?”

            “Visiting you of course,” the woman with dreadlocks grinned.  “What time are you off?  I want to take you out for some drinks to celebrate.”

            “I’ll be off in two hours, until then you can tour the city, there’s an arcade, and the beach.”

            “Ok, I’ll be back in two hours and ten minutes, then we are going to get some drinks at the local bar, my treat,” Bismuth finalized with a wink.

            “Sounds great,” Garnet nodded.

 

            The local bar was filled with laughter from one of the few current customers.

            “Chased down?!” she repeated gleefully.  “How far was it?  100?  200?  400?”

            “In total probably closer to a 300,” Garnet smirked as she took a sip from her glass.

            The visitor turned to the sandy haired captain.

            “Never.  Never run from Bailey.  She will chase you down and she will catch you.”

            Jasper glanced at Garnet, not entirely understanding why Bismuth said that to her.

            “I had a reputation back in Jersey for being able to outrun anyone on the streets.  If I got sight of them and they didn’t have a car waiting, I always got them,” Garnet explained.

            “Really?” Jasper raised an eyebrow up.

            The captain and Officer Lazuli were invited to come have a few drinks, while the latter declined, Jasper found it a good chance to relax and socialize.

            Bismuth nodded in response.  “There was one time she chased a guy through almost a mile of back alleys until he gave up and surrendered to her.  At least that’s what he insisted happened, in reality Garnet caught up to him and pinned him against the wall, cuffing him in seconds.  The poor bloke didn’t want to admit he had been out ran and out muscled by a woman.   I was following with our car and would have helped out more, but I kept on getting stuck or blocked off from them.  After catching him, Bailey brought him out into a main street where we could finally bring him in and book him for selling cocaine.”

            Garnet hummed, a smile crossing her lips as she recalled that memory.  In her peripherals, she caught the sight of a familiar mess of pink hair leaving the bar.  She paid no mind to the pale woman.

            “Oh!” Bismuth exclaimed as she hit one of her fists against the bar.  “Have you ever heard about the one time she chased down not one, not two, but three Dumpster Jumpers at the same time?” she directed to Jasper.

            “No…” the tallest woman said slowly.

            Laughter erupted again from stocky woman.

            “Well let me tell you then,” she grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Bismuth! We are going to jump back to the past and learn more about our dynamic duo.
> 
> Some strange things were going on with Garnet. Wonder why?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	10. Cops and Drug Dealers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are in the past. Time to learn about the adventures of Bismuth and Garnet!

^^^^^^

The adventures of Officer Bailey and Officer Bismuth

^^^^^^

 

            Everything was set up, their intel was reliable, their positions secure, now all they had to do was wait.  Officer Bailey let out a slow breath as she was crouched behind a number of pallets stacked high with goods and wrapped tightly with plastic.  There was a small gap between two of the pallets so that she could peek out to watch the whole deal go down.  When Bismuth and she had arrived, the place was void of any personnel so they were able to get into their hiding spots and wait for their targets to arrive.

            Right on time three figures entered from one door of the small warehouse wearing a combination of red, white, and black.  Five minutes later, two others entered from another door wearing mostly black.  Their hushed voices could barely be heard, but the two cops had placed a couple of microphones around to combat that.  The conversation was amplified into Garnet’s ear with a small earpiece she wore.

            “You got the shit?” one of the two individuals in black asked.

            “Of course, you got our money?” the middle of the three shot back

            “It ain’t your money until we see it,” came the retort.

            “Fine, here it is, one kilogram, like you asked.  Don’t snort it all at once.”

            Each of the three individuals pulled out a small bag of white powder and passed them over to the second of the two in black.  A large wad of cash was exchanged.  The respective groups began to inspect what they traded for.  A large, empty, plastic drum fell from the second level.  Garnet cringed, that was where Bismuth was hiding.  The five targets looked up to see the exposed officer.  Bismuth quickly recovered and pulled out her gun.

            “POLICE! FREEZE!” she bellowed.

            Garnet took that as her cue to jump out and cut off any potential exits.

            “Fuck!  The police!” the middle of the three cursed.

            He kicked one of the two in black between the legs and grabbed the white powder from him.  “Let’s get out of here!”

            They turned and ran.

            “I SAID FREEZE OR I WILL SHOOT!” came Bismuth’s warning.

            The two quickly recovered and were about to chase after the three that had stolen their money when Garnet appeared in front of them, her gun aimed at their chests.

            “Stay where you are,” was her low warning.

            A pop rang out and Garnet felt a bullet wiz uncomfortably close to where she was at.  She reflexively jumped back and turned her back to the source of the bullet.

            “Hey!” she shouted up at her partner.  “I’m right down here too!”

            “Sorry!” Bismuth called as she jumped down to the ground level.

            The dark cop frowned as she saw the two sprinting for the other side of the warehouse.  Now both sets were on the run; she wasn’t about to let them escape.

            “You go after those two, I got the three,” Garnet decided as she sprinted out the door the three had used as an exit only moments before.

            “Don’t…!” Bismuth frowned.  “YOU ONLY GOT TWO SETS OF CUFFS!” she shouted as she turned away from the two fleeing individuals and chased after her partner.

            Garnet didn’t heed the words shouted at her, she was already in the alleyway picking up her pace.  She saw them take a left only a hundred yards ahead of her.  In just over twelve seconds she turned the corner and spotted the three running down the open alleyway.  Six seconds later Garnet grabbed the slowest of the three and pinned him against a chain-link fence with her shoulder.  Quick hands wrestled the knife that had appeared in the burly man’s fist out of his hand.  His other fist crashed against the side of her face, Garnet tasted blood.  In return, she elbowed him in the nose, hard enough to break the cartilage of the sensitive area on the face.  As he recoiled in pain, Officer Bailey cuffed him to the fence. 

            “You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you,” she quickly stated before running off.

            Several choice words were shouted at her, but they were silenced by the familiar voice of her partner quickly telling him off.  A small smile formed on her lips, she could always count on Bismuth.  The smile fell and she growled in frustration at the precious seconds wasted as she continued sprinting after the fading figures in the distance.  She needed to be able to focus on the one with all the cash and drugs.  Unfortunately, that was the fastest one of the three, the two guards were stronger but slower.  Ten seconds later she had a clear view of the second and was only a few steps behind him.

            “HALT OR I’LL SHOOT!” she warned as she pulled out her gun.

            When the man didn’t heed her warning, Garnet skidded to a halt, the bottoms of her boots burning slightly from the friction.  With a steadying exhale, she took aim, and shot.  The second guard fell to the ground and clutched his calf, grunting in pain.  Garnet smirked and ran up to him.  Just as he was pulling out his gun to try and retaliate in kind, the curly haired cop violently kicked it out of his hands.  She then grabbed the same arm and twisted it around so she could cuff it the other one that was holding onto his bleeding leg.

            “You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you,” it came out faster this time due to her heavier breathing.

            “Fuck you Bitch!” he spat.

            “I’ve heard worse,” was her snappy retort as she took off in a sprint again.

            The final target was about two hundred yards away, a faint profile that could be easily lost if he got into a busy area before she got any closer.  Arms pumped at her sides as long legs effortlessly glided across the asphalt.  Thirty seconds later she had covered half of the distance between them.  A smirk began to creep across her face as she noticed him panicking as she steadily gained on him.  In a desperate attempt the man tossed a large garbage can in her path.  As Garnet approached the blockade, she measured her strides and then expertly extended her leading leg while tucking the trailing one up at her side.  In one fluid motion, she cleared the obstacle in perfect hurdling form that would have made her high school track coach proud.  The fleeing man cursed and tried to throw other things in her path, but each was overcome without one misstep.  Garnet was only yards away when she followed him around another corner.  For the second time, she skidded to a halt as she nearly collided with a group of teenagers talking amongst themselves as they strolled along the sidewalk.  The dark cop let out a breath of exasperation.  Civilians swarmed all over the sidewalks as cars puttered by in the busy street.  Sharp eyes caught her target weaving through the crowds.  Garnet swallowed and continued her pursuit.

            “Police, coming through!” she shouted as she tried to move through everyone with as little accidental contact as possible.

            Once she reached a small break in the crowd, she sped up and worked to close the distance the suspect had gained.  He swung around a lamp post and dashed into another alleyway.  Garnet sprinted after him, changing directions by jumping off the incoming brick wall.  In mere seconds, she hit him hard from behind, wrapping her arms around him and throwing them both skidding across the dirty asphalt.  Breathing hard, she wrestled his arms against his back and then sighed as she remembered she didn’t have any more handcuffs.

            “I don’t got anything!  You can’t book me for anything!” he shouted as he tried to worm out of her hold.

            “You have, the right, to remain silent.  Anything, you say, can and will, be used against you,” Officer Bailey issued as she pulled him up onto his feet.

            “I’m clean!  I don’t got anything, you just chased me down for kicks!  You’re going to pay for my injuries!”

            The dark cop rolled her eyes and marched him back towards the open streets.  It was going to be a long walk, but she was determined to get him back to their hidden squad car.  Sirens wailed from down the busy street, effectively parting the traffic.  The squad SUV pulled up next to them and Bismuth rolled down the window grinning at her.

            “I can’t believe you,” she laughed.  “I got the other two in the back, here’s some cuffs to put on him before we take him in with his buddies,” the burly woman said as she walked over to the two and handed over the needed set.

            Garnet simply grinned as she clicked them around the man’s wrists.  They did a quick frisk to check for any weapons; any thorough searching would have to be done at the station.

 

            “So,” Bismuth began as she tossed a pen onto the desk Garnet was currently resting her elbows on, “We searched them, no drugs or cash.”

            Garnet frowned.

            The stocky woman sat down and picked up one of the many papers strewn all over the desk.  “What do you think happened?”

            “I didn’t have my eyes on the guy all the time, especially when I was wrapping up the guards.  But our cameras show him holding both the cash and drugs as he made a break for the exit.  He must have dropped them in one of the alleyways we ran through, or even in the public space.  It could potentially be found by someone else if we don’t start combing for it right away.”

            “Exactly!” Bismuth pointed at her.  “We want to get one of the K-9 units, I don’t know if you can remember all of the alleys you ran through, but we can use it to run his trail and sniff out the drugs at the same time.  Hopefully, we will find the cash too, otherwise someone is going to have a very lucky day.”

            “What do we need to get permission to use one of the dogs?” Garnet asked.

            “A set of paperwork and an approval from our superiors,” the woman with dreadlocks explained as she set the few sheets of paper on the desk.  “Then with the approval we wait until one of the K-9 units are available to come search.  Considering the time sensitive nature and it being a relatively slow day until you pulled in three Dumpster Jumpers, I think we will have a K-9 in a couple of hours.”

            “A couple of hours?!  That’s way too long, we need to be searching for it now.”

            Bismuth chuckled.  “That’s what you’re going to start on.  I want you to head down and map out the route you took as best as possible and do some preliminary searching.  I will handle the paperwork this time and make sure we get our K-9 ASAP.  Deal?”

            “Deal!” the curly haired cop grinned as she clasped her hand with her senior partner.

            “Good!  Now get out there!  If you haven’t found at least one of the three bags I’m gonna be disappointed,” Bismuth teased.

            “You better hurry before I make your K-9 request obsolete,” was her retort as she began to head for the parking lot, twirling a set of keys in her hand.

            Rich laughter rolled off of Bismuth’s tongue.  In ten minutes, Officer Bailey was at the scene of the crime.  With a pencil and paper she drew out the possible route she took.  Walking the same path she had sprinted down only hours before seemed to take forever.  Latex gloves were snapped over scraped up hands as she began to sift through the trash strewn all over the sides and middle of the alleyways.  In the craziness of the chase and booking the suspects, the officer had yet to take care of the few abrasions and cuts she had received.  But that didn’t matter to her, convicting the criminals and cleaning up the streets was her priority, especially since they were Dumpster Jumpers, the gang that generally dealt in opiates and cocaine.

            By the time Bismuth arrived with the K-9 unit, Officer Bailey had only gone through the first leg of her many turns and paths.  The German Shepherd’s trainer brought out a sample of the man’s clothing to scent.  In seconds the dog was off tracking down the Dumpster Jumper’s path.  Bismuth and Garnet followed behind, thoroughly searching through any spots the dog had paused at.  After about a half an hour the German Shepherd stopped and woofed at a large metal dumpster.  The location was not too far from where Garnet had taken down the second guard.

            “Guess he decided to cut his losses after seeing you take out both of his buddies,” Officer Bismuth chuckled.

            “We don’t know if it’s in there or not.  I’ll start diving, you go on with the K-9 and finish the trail and mark any other spots he points out,” Garnet shrugged.

            “Knock yourself out, I’ll be back before too long,” the older officer smirked.

            Officer Bailey hoisted herself up and looked over the items she could see on top.  Unfortunately, there were plenty of gaps in the trash where a small bag could easily fall through.  Garnet looked over her shoulder and spotted a few beverage crates she could use as a raised platform for her to perch on while sifting through the top layer.  After arranging the crates to her advantage, the dark officer began to carefully poke and sift through the top layer of trash.  The stench wafting up from the dump was enough to make her eyes water and for her stomach to heave slightly.  She steeled her abdomen and pushed through it, she would get used to the smell before too long.  With the first layer inspected, Garnet was faced with the task of jumping in to keep searching deeper.  The mess of plastic, rotting food, various unpleasant wet items, random broken electronics, used toiletries, and more made her lips pull down in a disgusted frown.  First, she needed a place to step.  Garnet checked her surroundings, making sure no one was lurking nearby.  She leaned forward and submerged the top half of her body into the dumpster.  It made her laugh internally at how she thought the smell was bad before.  With a spot cleared, Officer Bailey jumped in feet first.  From there she worked her way across the dumpster, pushing everything behind her that wasn’t what she was looking for.

            After what seemed like hours her tired eyes landed on a small bag filled with white powder precariously balanced on the top of a large black trash bag, surrounded by rotting cardboard.  Garnet reached into her belt and pulled out an evidence bag and quickly nabbed the item.

            “Yes!” she vocally celebrated.  “One down, two to go.”

            The bagged evidence was then secured in one of her empty pouches on her belt before she resumed her search for the others with renewed vigor.  However, her victory was short lived when she ran into the metal wall of the other end of the dumpster before finding another bag or the money.  With a sigh, she lifted herself out of the dump and sat on the edge staring down into the mess she had so carefully combed through.  Officer Bailey decided she would radio up her partner on her find and get an update on Bismuth’s success.

            “Bailey to Bismuth, calling for a status report,” she spoke into her shoulder radio.

            Bismuth’s voice came back after a brief moment of static feedback.  “Reached the end of the trail, on our way back to your location.”

            “Roger that.”

            Garnet stood up and hopped down onto the asphalt.  She brushed off several pieces of trash that had clung to her.

            _I’m going to take a nice long shower once I get home._

The figures of the two officers and the K-9 came into view after only a few minutes.

            “So Bailey, what did you find?” Bismuth demanded in a friendly tone as she walked up to Garnet.

            “One bag of cocaine,” she smirked as she pulled out the evidence.

            A wide smile broke out on the older woman’s face as a hearty laugh echoed in the alleyway.

            “You sure did!  Well now that means we got two.  We found the other towards the end.  Though it looks like the third bag and the money may have already been picked up.”

            “What if we just missed it on accident?” Officer Bailey tried.

            “That’s why we are going to make one more run through this, but if we don’t find anything we will need to head back to the station and get these little pieces we do have into forensics.  With their fingerprints and contents confirmed, we will be able to book them for sure.”

            “Alright, let’s get to it!”

            “Lead the way Banana Bun!”

            “Banana Bun?” Garnet turned and looked at her partner with confusion.

            “You got a banana on your bun,” Bismuth smirked, laughter shining in her eyes.

            “What?  Aww, gross,” the taller officer complained as she picked it off and tossed the rotting peel back into the dumpster.

            Retracing their steps and rechecking piles took a couple more hours and didn’t yield any further success.  However, the two left the area in good spirits, they now had at least two pieces that would help to convict the men they had captured.  After a quick shower and change of uniform, Garnet joined Bismuth in the pile of paperwork they had to tackle to ensure the three suspects were convicted for their crimes, while the bags of cocaine were in forensics.

            A steaming mug of black coffee was placed in front of Garnet as she stared blankly at the piece of paper in front of her.  Officer Bismuth smiled and sat down, sipping on her own mug of the caffeinated drink.

            “You looked like you needed a little pick-me-up.”

            “Thanks,” Officer Bailey nodded as she took a careful sip.

            “Any news from forensics?”

            Bismuth’s face fell.  “Some.”

            “What did they say?” Garnet pressed.

            “They only got fingerprints for one of the three guys on the bags, the dealer.”

            “What?  That doesn’t make any sense, we had two bags, one of them had to at least have another set on them, or even the prints from the guys on the other half of the exchange.  None of them were wearing gloves.”

            “That’s what they say,” the woman with dreadlocks spoke as she leaned back in her chair.  “They said there was too much filth on them from the trash to make out any other prints.  So, we have enough to convict the dealer, but the other two could get off with a small sentence for not cooperating with police.”

            “We have video of them making the exchange, their attire matches, I have video from chasing them, and we both witnessed the transaction, what more proof do we need?”

            “A direct link to the drugs, at least that’s what our superior says, otherwise he’s not going to hold them.  We have a day to find a link or a ‘real’ reason to convict them,” Bismuth rolled her eyes.

            “They were shown to have possession of the drugs on the video!” Garnet frowned.

            “Could have been flour, without finger prints we can’t prove that those bags we found were actually handled by them,” Bismuth said with a shrug.

            The younger cop sat back and huffed, trying hard to not grind her teeth in frustration.  She then swiveled towards her computer and began typing away furiously.  Bismuth watched on with curiosity.

            “The two guards already had their information in the system when we booked them, so this isn’t their first time.  I wonder if their files could help out at all, maybe if one of them had past charges or something like that.”

            The older woman nodded.  “That’s a good area to check, if we’re lucky one of them might have a warrant of a similar past offense.”

            “They are Dumpster Jumpers, handling cocaine is a daily task for them, along with beating the shit out of people.  Are we sure nothing was found on them when they were searched?  No weapons?  Other bags or traces of cocaine?”

            “Officer Wesson and Officer Colton handled searching them, they said nothing was found.”

            Garnet involuntarily twitched at the mention of the two names, neither of the two were cops she or Bismuth got along with.  She wouldn’t be surprised if they hid or disposed of any evidence they did find in the search.

            “Couldn’t we have requested someone else to do it?”

            “They were the two volunteering to take care of the two guards.  I was shuffled off to get paperwork and you were busy with the dealer.”

            “Well, we got something.  One of the guards has a warrant out for his arrest for physical assault and battery, so we can push forward to convict him with that,” Officer Bailey sighed.

            “Good work!” Bismuth smiled as she took a drink from her mug.  “Your girlfriend isn’t going to be upset about you working so late tonight, is she?” she changed topics.

            “Pearl?  No, she’s actually really busy with work right now as well.”

            “What does she do for work again?”

            “I don’t know.”

            “You don’t know?”

            Garnet didn’t respond.

            “Why don’t you?”  Bismuth pressed.

            “She doesn’t want to tell me, and I then decided I wouldn’t tell her what I did until she told me.”

            “That’s not going to go over well…”

            “I’m sure she’ll probably be a little surprised when she finds out that I’m a cop.”

            “I was more referring to how you might react when you find out what she does.”

            Garnet frowned.  “Why would you say that?”

            Bismuth leaned forward.  “Generally, when people are reluctant to tell something it’s for usually one or a couple of reasons.  One: they are ashamed of it, two: it’s illegal, three: it’s something they really dislike, four: they were forced into it.  So, my question to you, is how are you going to react if you find out about Pearl’s work and it’s one of those?”

            The younger officer blinked.  She hadn’t thought about it.  Her mind almost consciously had been avoiding the potential truth that Pearl might be involved in some less than savory business.  The job secrecy had become kind of a joke between them by now, but it showed a crack in their relationship.  Pearl didn’t completely trust her to share with her that part of the pale woman’s life.  It hurt.  Garnet quickly shook off that train of thought and focused on the computer in front of her.

            “We need to focus on making sure these three end up behind bars,” Garnet deflected.

            “Look, I know what you’re doing, but I just wanted to point that possibility out.  You say you love this woman, and love is a great thing, but it can also blind people from seeing the reality about the one they are in love with.  You’ve been together for some time and you _still_ don’t know what she does for work?  That concerns me.”

            “She’ll tell me when she’s ready,” was her firm response.

            Bismuth sighed and stood up.  “I’ll be right back, got an idea on something that might help us out.  You keep working on the active charges for the one guard.”

            Garnet grunted in acknowledgement.

            It took a couple of hours, but the second guard was going to be processed for his previous crimes.  Even though it didn’t include the one they pulled him in for, it was still a small victory.  Bismuth finally came back.  Officer Bailey turned to face her partner to see the woman with dreadlocks grinning from ear to ear.

            “Good news?” Garnet asked hopefully.

            “Forensics only checked the outside of the bag and not the open inside portion above the twist tie.  I stood by and watched as they checked both bags and low and behold, we got another set of fingerprints that matched the other guard.”

            “Seriously?”

            “Yup,” the older woman nodded.  “All three of them are going to go to jail.”

            “Yes!” Garnet jumped out of her seat and pumped her fist.  “How’d you think to check that?”

            “Some people when they handle bags grab them by the bunch of plastic at the top instead of taking a hold of the base.  Thought it would be best to check that area just in case one of the suspects had a tendency to do that.”

            “I’ll have to keep that in mind for the future,” Garnet noted.

            Bismuth clapped her on the shoulder.  “That’s something you learn with experience, Bailey.  Don’t worry, by the time you’ve been in this as long as I have, nothing will escape your sharp eyes.”

            “I sure hope so, I’ve got the best trainer and partner there is.”

            “I’m no longer your trainer, just your partner.”

            “Yeah, but I still learn things from you all the time.”

            “That’s because you’re smart!” Bismuth grinned.  “Who’d think that you would turn out to be one of the best young cops in the region?  Seems like just yesterday they were trying to convict you for trumped up charges.”

            Garnet laughed.  “I’m still amazed by how things turned out, but one thing is for certain, I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.”

            The stocky woman playfully shoved Garnet away.  “Stop embarrassing me!”  She looked at the computer and messy desk.  “Let’s finish up this paperwork and get some rest.  You seriously need to take another shower, you still reek.”

            Garnet shoved Bismuth back.

 

            Three hours later Garnet opened her dark apartment and flicked on a couple of lights to brighten up the living room.  She kicked off her shoes and stretched.  It had been a long but very successful day at work.  These days made her job worthwhile, knowing that what she was doing was helping to make a positive difference in the city.  Her mind wondered how Pearl’s work was going and if the pale woman was having as much success as she was.  A frown pulled at the corner of her mouth as the brief conversation with Bismuth came to the forefront of her mind.  Could Pearl be doing something illegal?  Or something she was afraid or ashamed to tell her?  Why didn’t Pearl want to tell her?  Didn’t Pearl know how much she loved her?  Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a black moth fluttering around the light in the ceiling fan.  A tsk came from her mouth as she stepped into the kitchen to grab her flyswatter.  The moth danced around the calculated swipes with ease, ironically settling on the back of Garnet’s right hand.  Garnet stayed still as she raised the flyswatter high in her left hand.  Dark, velvet looking eyes stared straight into her deep, brown ones.

            _She doesn’t trust you._

            Garnet swung the weapon down and painfully struck her hand with it.  The moth danced off into the air mocking her with the soft fluttering of its wings.  She chased after it, but quickly lost sight of it in the dark corners of the apartment.  After turning on all the lights and vehemently searching the apartment for the offending moth, Garnet returned the flyswatter to its place.  The moth had disappeared.  She shook her head, trying to get rid of the words that had involuntarily passed through her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where'd that moth come from? "Here comes a thought..."


	11. Rocky Roads and Moths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are still in the past! Time for a bit of angst probably a couple more moths. And possibly some information about Pearl, who will be in this chapter (I know she's been a little scarce these past two).

^^^^^^

Garnet is unsure on what Pearl thinks and feels towards her.

^^^^^^

 

            Garnet pulled the thin, plastic coated cable sending a signal to the bus driver that she wanted to get off at the next stop.  Long legs easily carried her to her destination in minutes.  As she looked at the familiar home and door, a slight sigh was pushed past her lips.  After a quick knock with strong knuckles, the painted metal door was opened by her mother Sapphire.

            “Hello Mum,” Garnet smiled as she leaned down to give her mother a quick kiss on the cheek.

            “Evening Garnet,” she returned the gesture.

            Her mother motioned for her to come in.  The house smelt of cornbread and hot chili.  A good dinner to ward off the chill of the oncoming winter and was sure to clear out her sinuses.  Ruby liked her food spicy and Garnet had acquired the same level of appreciation for strong spices as a result.

            “Everything smells delicious Mum,” Garnet said to Ruby as she gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

            “It sure does, thank you Garnet!”  The curly haired woman grinned kissing her back.  She then glanced at the area behind Garnet.  “Where’s Pearl?”

            The daughter swallowed and looked at the table set out for four occupants.

            “She didn’t want to come,” was her dull response.

            “What?!” Ruby threw her hands in the air, causing some of the chili on the spoon she was holding to be flung off into the air and onto the laminate floor.  “We invited her, she knows that right?”

            “Yes, I told her that you both wanted to have dinner together and get to know her better.”

            “So why isn’t she here?” Ruby questioned.

            “She didn’t want to meet you two, something about you both probably not approving of her.”

            “Here,” Sapphire said as she handed Garnet a bowl for her chili.

            “Thank you.”

            “Why would she think we wouldn’t approve?  I mean we’re all in a relationship with another woman, so it can’t be that,” Ruby looked at her wife for some backup.

            “Perhaps a lifestyle conflict?” Sapphire spoke up.  “You mentioned she smokes and is a little crasser than most.  However, those things do not merit being excluded from family activities.”

            “We all swear too,” Ruby added.  “I make horrible jokes.  Does she hate spice?  Did you tell her I was making chili?” she directed to Garnet.

            “I didn’t know what we were having until I walked in,” the daughter frowned.  “I think she just doesn’t want you to ask her a bunch of questions about herself.”

            “But that’s the point of having her over and getting to know her better,” Ruby emphasized.

            “She’s a little stubborn when it comes to talking about herself,” Garnet grumbled slightly as she scooped up some chili into her bowl.

            Sapphire looked between her wife and her daughter.  She handed Ruby a bowl and kissed her quickly on the cheek.

            “It sounds like that frustration with Pearl isn’t new,” she carefully pried.

            Garnet just huffed and set her bowl down before putting away the fourth table setting.  The two mothers filled their bowls and took a seat across the table from their daughter.

            “How has work been?” Sapphire tried a different topic.

            The younger woman smiled at that.

            “Helped to nab three Dumpster Jumpers a few weeks ago, just got news of their various sentences last week.  They won’t be returning to the streets for some time.”

            “That’s phenomenal,” Sapphire smiled.  “You and Bismuth certainly get a lot done.  They should let the two of you be paired up permanently.”

            Garnet chuckled.  “Nah, they can’t do that, otherwise everyone would be out of a job in a couple of years.  Plus, they gotta encourage teamwork and skill building with different people.  Being able to work with a wide variety of personalities is important, but I think they do that just so they don’t look as bad compared to us,” she said with a certain level of pride.  “Though, what Bismuth tells me is that we got at least a couple more months before we get switched up, so before then we hope to catch as many of those Dumpster Jumpers as possible.”

            “Do you two have a number goal?” Ruby spoke up from where she had been stirring her chili.

            “All of them?  Not really, we just want to get as many as we can.  The dinner is really good, thank you Mum.”

            “I gave it the extra winter kick, if your nose isn’t running a little by the time you’ve finished then I did something wrong.  You two should come up with a number though, so you have something concrete to go after.”

            “I don’t think that’ll be the case with this chili,” Garnet smirked.  “I’ll have to talk to Bismuth about that, it’s a good idea.”

            Sapphire silently added a large scoop of sour cream to her chili and stirred it in.

            “Sapphy…” Ruby pouted at the action.

            “I can handle your regular chili, this one is just a little much,” came the long-haired woman’s even response.

            The shorter curly haired woman turned back towards Garnet.  “How much spice does Pearl like?”

            “Not much actually, she can handle mild, but any more than that and she usually needs something to temper it.”

            “Ah.”  Ruby looked down at her mostly eaten bowl as she nibbled on a crumb of cornbread.

            The table conversation died down for a little bit; Sapphire and Garnet exchanged random questions and answers about how things were going at home and social circles.  It was odd, usually Ruby was much more involved in the conversation.  Once everyone had finished, they each pitched in to help clean up.  Ruby suddenly slammed her fist against the table.

            “It still bothers me that Pearl didn’t want to come to dinner with us!”

            Garnet and Sapphire both looked at Ruby with semi-surprised faces.

            “Aren’t either of you upset by this?!  We know who she is, Garnet’s shown us pictures of her.  She’s seen pictures of us, but yet she still doesn’t want to meet us?  It’s been almost a year since you two have become official, almost two since you two have been spending time together.  Why would she not want to meet us?”

            “I don’t know,” Garnet tersely stated as she set a plate in the dish drainer a little harder than necessary.

            “Did she not give you any reason?  Did you not ask her for any reason?!”

            “I asked, but she just said what was the point of meeting my parents when I couldn’t meet hers.  That and she said she didn’t want to.”

            “And why can’t you meet her parents?  We would invite them over too,” Ruby fumed.

            “Because they are dead.”                                                                    

            “Oh…” Ruby deflated; a blush running across her brown cheeks.

            Sapphire looked at Ruby, then Garnet.  “How did they pass?”

            “I don’t know, but it was when she was younger.  That’s all she’ll tell me,” Garnet admitted.

            “That’s sad.  I wonder how she was taken care of until she could be on her own.”

            “So do I,” the youngest sadly chuckled.

            “I can understand that,” Ruby pursed her lips.  “It would be hard to meet your loved one’s parents and not be able to have them meet your own parents.”

            Garnet had no comment on Ruby’s reasoning.  The two mothers glanced at each other for a moment before carefully watching their daughter roughly clean the dishes.

            “She does love you right?” the curly haired mother inquired.

            Silence hung in the air for a few moments.

            “I don’t know,” Garnet breathed out heavily.

            “Has she expressed it?”

            “If she had said those words I definitely would have remembered it.”

            “What if she’s just saying them in a different way?” Sapphire posed.

            “Like how?”

            “Actions, are there things she does that might be her way of telling you that she loves you?”

            “I’ve tried, but so far none of her actions really jump out at me.  We’ve been doing the same kind of thing for the past two years.  The only change was going on dates and getting to be in her apartment.  And well the random times she actually will tell me some little things about her past, like how she used to do ballet, but that’s more like pulling teeth.  I’ve done all that I know to show her that I love her and that she can open up to me.  I’ve been patient, but she doesn’t seem interested in ever letting me in or returning the sentiments,” the daughter sighed.

            Ruby and Sapphire exchanged a worried glance.

            “You know Garnet,” Ruby began, “If things aren’t going well for you…”

            “If Pearl can’t give you the kind of equal relationship we know you need, it’s ok to take a step back and…” Sapphire trailed off.

            “Maybe take a break, or at least try to talk with her about your frustration.”

            “Yes,” Sapphire nodded.  “Let her know how you’re feeling and kindly ask she answer some of these important questions, and if she’s not willing to, then maybe it might be time to evaluate how much your relationship with Pearl means to you.”

            “We want you to be happy,” Ruby said as she put her arm around her wife’s waist.  “We don’t want to see you become miserable from being constantly shutdown by someone you love.  We want a good healthy relationship for you with someone who is going to value you as much as you should be.”

            “Thanks, Mums,” Garnet said with a tired smile as she finished the last of the dishes.  She walked over and hugged both of them.  “I will think things over and decide where to go from there.  I do love Pearl and I don’t want to just give up without trying first.”

            “It sounds like you’ve already been doing a lot of trying,” the curly haired mother commented.

            Garnet laughed once.  “I have, but I can try a little harder.”

            “Ok…” her mothers frowned.

            Before long Garnet was on her way back home.  While dinner had been delicious, and had certainly cleared out her sinuses, it had also been emotionally draining.  All of her insecurities about her relationship with Pearl just had to be talked about that night.  Garnet changed into her pajamas after a nice shower; enjoying the fuzzy feeling of her favorite set of flannel pajama bottoms against her freshly shaven legs.  Her eyes caught a brown moth sitting on her dresser.  She regarded the insect with caution.  Was it the same one from before?  It looked into her eyes with its black, beady spheres.

_She doesn’t love you._

            Garnet stormed into the kitchen to retrieve her flyswatter.  In seconds, she was back in her room ready to kill the pest, only to find that it had disappeared.  She scoured the apartment only to come up empty handed.  After returning the flyswatter she walked back into her room ready to go to bed.  The calendar posted on her wall caught her attention.  It was only a few days until their one year anniversary.  A small smile made its way onto her thick lips.  She already had several things planned out for that night, and she couldn’t wait to share it with Pearl.

 

            Garnet closed her eyes and swallowed heavily, one hand rubbing her throat softly while the other was balled up on her lap.  She opened her brown eyes to stare at the small pile of bloodied tissues on top of her desk.  A shiver ran through her body as it eased down from the adrenaline rush of the fight.

            “You’re damn lucky you were able to disarm that guy before he took you to the ground,” Bismuth commented as she set a mug of coffee in front of Garnet.

            The stocky woman sat down watching her partner closely and holding onto her own mug of the dark liquid.  Garnet blew on the drink and took a careful sip; muttering a quick “thanks”.

            “Had you not knocked away his gun…” Bismuth trailed off and looked away.  “Stop doing that!”

            The younger officer stared at her in confusion.

            “You know what I’m talking about, being reckless and bringing your fists to a gun fight!  Sometimes you have to shoot, you don’t have to shoot to kill, but dammit he would have killed you!”

            “I didn’t have time to,” Garnet’s rough voice countered.

            “Bullshit, you had enough time to wrestle the gun away, throw a few punches, then get tackled to the ground, get your face beaten, and nearly strangled!”

            Officer Bailey looked away.  The officer with dreadlocks sighed.

            “Look, it does something to you when you turn around from taking care of the one guy to see your partner being strangled and beaten by a guy that is probably seventy pounds bigger.  All I could think of was how to get him off of you as soon as possible.”  Bismuth glanced down at the mug in her lap.  “Most likely he will survive the gunshot wound.”

            Garnet took a sip from her mug.  “Thanks, for watching my back, Bismuth.  I wouldn’t have gotten out of that on my own.”

            “Anytime,” the woman breathed out heavily.  “I’m just glad you’re ok now, though, you’re probably going to get some bad bruises from that.”

            “I know, I can feel them already.”  The taller officer paused for a moment.  “So, what do we need to take care of to make sure those two get charged correctly?”

            “Your favorite thing,” Bismuth grinned.  “Paperwork!”

            Garnet groaned and rested her forehead against the wooden desk.

 

            It didn’t take long for the bruises on her face and neck to set in, in a couple of days they could be seen even against her dark skin.  Garnet carefully washed her face as she got ready for bed.  The unlocking, opening, and closing of her apartment’s front door informed her of a visitor.

            “Just me!” came Pearl’s voice.  “Not some turd coming to rob or ravish you.”

            Garnet listened to her girlfriend walk into the bathroom.  A low chuckle came from behind her.

            “Well, I might still ravish you, if you want,” the lower tone was accompanied by thin cold fingers sneaking not so innocently underneath the waistband of her sweatpants and underwear; making small circles in the area just above Garnet’s patch of curls.

            The dark woman tensed at the chilly touch, but let a soft laugh drift past her lips.  Once she finished washing her face she turned around to capture Pearl’s lips in a soft kiss.  Thin arms wrapped around her neck and a narrow body was pressed up against hers.  The kiss slowly escalated, Garnet’s girlfriend nibbling on her lower lip.

            “Ow.” the dark woman suddenly pulled away, exclaiming more in surprise than pain.

            She was so wrapped up in the moment that she forgot that there was a small cut in her lip from the scuffle with the gang member a couple of days ago.  Garnet checked herself in the mirror making sure it didn’t start bleeding.  She let out a sigh of relief, thankfully Pearl wasn’t biting any harder.

            “What is this?” came an underlying upset tone as bony fingers pressed against one of the bruises on her neck.

            Garnet looked down to see Pearl staring at the marks on her neck with furrowed eyebrows.

            “I didn’t give you any of these,” the pale woman stated as she looked up at Garnet.  “Where’d you get them?” she asked as her fingers prodded another bruise.

            The taller winced and pulled Pearl’s fingers away from her neck.  “I got ‘em from work.”

            “How could you get this from work?”  Pearl didn’t sound convinced.

            “I work in the public service sector and sometimes the people I work with aren’t as agreeable and lash out physically,” Garnet loosely explained.

            “Oh really…?” a thin strawberry blonde eyebrow was raised up.

            “I’m being serious, Pearl.  I got these from work.”

            “M-hm.”

            Garnet stared at Pearl.  “You don’t believe me,” she stated.

            The pale woman stepped away and folded her arms across her midsection, not saying anything.

            “What have I done to make you doubt what I’m telling you?  I didn’t get these from sleeping with someone else.”

            “How am I supposed to know that?  I don’t even know what you do for work or if getting ‘injuries’ like this would even be normal for the type of job you do,” Pearl countered.

            “You didn’t answer my question, what have I done to deserve your doubt?  I’ve been true to you ever since we started sleeping together.  We just celebrated our one year anniversary together not even two weeks ago.  Why would I even want to sleep with anyone else?!”

            “I don’t know!” Pearl shrugged.  “But those marks are pretty suspicious,” she gestured to Garnet’s neck.

            “The individual I was working with tried to strangle me, my co-worker Bismuth had to shove him off me.  You see these other marks on my face?”  the curly haired woman pointed to her partial black eye and split lip.  “Those are from the few times he also punched me.”

            The strawberry blonde looked away.  “What kind of job puts you in that kind of danger?”

            Garnet frowned.  “What kind of job makes you work non-stop for over five weeks in a row?”

            “My job has nothing to do with this.”

            “It’s the reason why you don’t know what I do for work.”

            “Are you seriously going to bring _that_ up again?” Pearl rolled her eyes and scoffed.  “I’m not telling you what I do.”

            “Why?” the taller woman pressed.

            “Why?!  Because you don’t need to know.”

            “I don’t?  I don’t need to know what you’re doing when you leave at 1am in the morning for work and don’t say anything to me until two days later?  I don’t need to know why sometimes after work you smell like you’ve been walking around a chemical plant?  It may not be necessary for my survival to know what you do, but it sure would ease a lot of worry.”

            Pearl remained silent.

            Garnet breathed out and looked around for a moment.  “Are you ashamed of what you do?” she posed quietly.

            “Why would I be ashamed of my work?!”

            “I don’t know!  I’m just trying to think of reasons why you don’t want to tell me what you do?  Is it because it’s illegal?”

            “No,” she replied tensely

            “Is it because you don’t trust me?  Do you think I’m going to reject you for your work?”

            “How do I know you wouldn’t!” Pearl took a step back into the hallway.

            “I love you Pearl,” Garnet took a step forward.  “I’m willing to work through any ‘issues’ or disagreements that might arise from yours or mine’s line of work.”  The dark woman took in Pearl’s closed off body language for a few seconds; silence hanging painfully between them.  “Do you even believe me when I say ‘I love you’?” came the low whisper.

            The pale woman stared at the floor.  “Why would you love me?”

            Garnet swallowed and blinked away the light burning sensation that came with the early stages of tear formation.

            “Because I know you and I know that you are worth my love.  There are innumerable reasons as to why I do love you, Pearl.”

            “You don’t know me,” Pearl harshly whispered.

            “For being together for a year and sleeping together for over two?  I know you pretty well in a lot of general areas like things you enjoy and dislike and personal habits, but in any of the other areas I’m constantly shut down by you whenever I try to ask about your family, or how you became friends with S, or your work, or your past.  If I don’t know you well enough it’s not because I haven’t wanted to.  I try to remain patient and give you the space you desire, but you have given me no indication that you’ll ever want to let me in.”

            The two stood in silence for a few moments.  Garnet watched Pearl carefully, trying to catch any hint to what the smaller woman was going to say or do next.  She sighed heavily and scratched the back of her neck.

            “I wanted us to be on the same level when it came to our relationship.  That’s why I haven’t told you what I do for work yet.  When you felt ready to tell me what you do for work, I would then tell you what I do in return.  Now it’s been well over a year and you’ve shown no indication of ever wanting telling me.”  Another sigh was pushed past her thick lips.  “But it’s come to the point where you know most everything about me and I’m still largely in the dark about you.  You know, the important things, like what happened to your parents, or who took care of you after they passed away?  Hell, I’m even in the dark about how you exactly feel about me.  I know you like spending time with me and having sex, but what you do feel towards me?”

            Pearl looked up at her, her eyes shifting around.  “Are you asking me a question?”

            “Yes.  How do you feel about me?  What is the emotion that comes to mind when you think of or see me?”

            “I don’t know,” she muttered.

            Garnet pinched the bridge of her nose.  “Are you serious?”

            “I don’t know, ok!”

            “How do you not know?!”

            “I haven’t really thought about it,” Pearl backed away from Garnet’s louder voice.

            The dark woman leaned back against the wall just outside of the bathroom and put her forehead in her hand.

            “Then what is this to you?” she motioned to the area around the two of them.

            “What is?”

            “Our relationship?  What is it to you?  Do you actually feel something for me or do you just stick around because you haven’t gotten tired of me yet?  Am I just a fuck buddy to you?” Garnet spoke hopelessly.

            “It’s not that!” Pearl quickly countered.

            “Well then what is it?”

            “I don’t know.”

            The curly haired woman tipped her head back and stared at the ceiling.  “Well then maybe you should figure that out.  I’ve been open and honest with you, aside from not telling you where I work.  I love you Pearl, but I need to know how you feel about me if we are going to keep spending time together.  If you’re just wanting someone to keep you warm, then tell me.  If you want a relationship where we both equally contribute to it, then tell me.”

            With that Garnet turned and walked into her bedroom.  As she crawled into her bed she heard the front door close and the bolt slide into place.  Brown eyes closed tightly as they forced the oncoming tears back.

 

            The next two days felt like they passed in a haze.  Work was dull, Bismuth made several inquiries about her mood, but she brushed her partner off saying she was just tired.  Garnet tried to not think about Pearl, but every time she looked at her phone and it didn’t have a message or anything from the woman, Pearl would be back at the front of her attention until she was able to distract herself.  It bothered her how much she was hurting.

_I guess that’s what happens when your feelings aren’t returned._

            Thoughts swarmed around her about every little interaction she had with Pearl.  Over analyzing and dissecting each one trying to figure out what went wrong or what she could have done differently.

_Why would she love you?_

_She doesn’t care about you._

_At least you’re a good fuck._

_She’s just using you._

_Did you honestly think you could get her to open up?_

_Wow, you really are a stupid, hopeless romantic._

_Now you’ve just wasted all your time with her._

_What was the point?  All that fun for all this pain?  Was it worth it?_

_You screwed up, you weren’t patient enough._

_You didn’t push her enough!_

_You’re just a doormat._

_You knew she would bolt, why are you surprised?_

_She probably has found someone else by now._

_And you thought she trusted you, that’s hilarious._

_Looks like the only women who will ever love you are your mothers._

Garnet sat curled up on her couch lost in her thoughts when someone knocked on the front door.  The curly haired woman just snarled and held herself closer; she didn’t want to see anyone right now.  The sound repeated firmer.  Still, Garnet ignored it.  When the knock demanded attention for the third time, Garnet leapt to her feet and stomped over to the door; opening it abruptly and glaring down at whoever was disturbing her solitude.  Light blue eyes looked back up at her nervously.  It was Pearl.

            “May I come in?” she asked, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket.

            Garnet stepped back to let her in.  Her mouth was locked tight, she didn’t know what to say; so, she was going to let Pearl do the talking.  The pale woman smelled strongly of cigarette smoke, she must have been burning through a couple just before coming to her door.  Pearl shuffled around in the living room, pacing, glancing at her to only look away.  Garnet simply crossed her arms across her chest and watched the smaller woman’s antics.

            “I…”

            Pearl paced around again.  She eventually settled down and partially faced Garnet.

            “I don’t process my emotions very well.”

            Garnet did her best to not roll her eyes at the obvious statement.

            “I tend to shut them away and not deal with them,” she continued, slouching forward.  “I didn’t want to deal with what emotions might be tied to you.  I don’t want to get hurt, because it’s painful.”  She looked up at Garnet hoping for some response, but Garnet gave her none.  Pearl sighed.  “My parents died when I was sixteen.”

            The curly haired woman’s face softened a little at the revelation.

            “Do you remember a city called Ocean Town?”

            It was a question; Garnet should answer it.  The tall woman silently nodded.

            “I was born there and lived there with my family until the whole place went up in flames.”

            _Oh…_

Garnet knew roughly what had happened, an explosion at the older natural gas refinery within the city limits, resulting in the nearby pipe network combusting in a matter of minutes.  Some of her teachers in high school had mentioned that several of the emergency valves in the refinery had failed due to the force of the explosion, thus enabling the pressurized natural gas lines within the city to catch fire.  The result, more broken valves in the old network of pipe and over 90% of the city burnt to the ground.  Delmarva, as a state, had been lucky that newer pipe and valves had been installed in the surrounding cities, otherwise the chaos could have easily spread.  Whether the initial explosion had been sabotage or just an accident, no one was able to tell from the remains.  She remembered as a fourteen-year-old seeing the news on the explosion and resulting disaster for months.

            “I was walking home from the dance studio when it happened.  I had just finished my ballet lessons for the day.  Since the studio wasn’t too far from my house I usually walked to and from there.  The explosions lit up several small businesses I had been passing.  Before I knew it, I was surrounded by burning buildings.  My only thought then was to run home and make sure my family was ok.” Pearl stopped the story to laugh harshly for a moment.  “Each day after my lessons I would come home and my family would be waiting for me in the kitchen and dining room ready to sit down and have dinner together.  I ran as fast as I could.  It was like running through Hell, fire everywhere, intense heat pulsing from every crack and crevice; oranges, reds, yellows, engulfing everything and everyone while black smoke poured into the air.  By the time I reached my neighborhood I had passed burning house after burning house.  How could I have thought that it would be any different with mine?”  Pearl swallowed heavily.  “Both cars were still in the driveway, the streets were empty, and we didn’t have a pool or anything like that to jump into.  My mother, father, younger brother, all gone, all burned to the ground with our home."

            Thin trails of liquid ran down Pearl’s pale face.  The woman looked away and furiously wiped them off.  Garnet didn’t know what to do, should she give Pearl her space or embrace her?  She made a small movement towards Pearl, but Pearl held up her hand, clearing her throat in the process.

            “I wandered around for several days with the few belongings I had from school and ballet.  There were so many injured people from the disaster that none of the rescuers had time to check on a random girl walking about.  I might have avoided them too, I don’t really remember too well, my mind was not functioning properly.  I lost track of time, my location, everything.  All I could feel was crushing loneliness and the pain of losing everything I had.  Somehow, I ended up in Jersey.  I was covered in filth, starving, dehydrated, and wandering around in a bad part of the city.  It was in those streets that a woman approached me.  Her name was Rose, she took me in, offered me a bed to sleep in, food to eat, and clothes to wear.  She helped me acquire my high school diploma by completing a test online, and pointed me in a direction for employment opportunities.  But she did more than that, she became my family, she cared for me, held me through the sleepless nights riddled with nightmares, she helped me conquer my fear of fire, she supported me, she loved me.  That’s where I met S, she had been helped by Rose as well.  We became friends and decided it was cheaper to room together than on our own,” Pearl added as a small tangent.  “However, even with Rose’s help and love, I developed some less than optimal methods for dealing with certain strong emotions.  In short I ignore them and don’t sort through and identify them.”  The strawberry blonde looked up at Garnet.  “That’s why I didn’t know how I felt about you.  I know I feel something; I’ve just been afraid of facing it because it could hurt.  It hurts to lose something important, it changes you, it affects every aspect of your life in one way or another.”  Pearl looked away again.  “I know it’s not just lust, I do like you, I enjoy the time we spend together and I am happier when I am with you than anyone else.  I just don’t know if it’s anything more than that yet.  You’ve been very patient with me, and I appreciate that.  This is my first time being in a serious relationship; I don’t really know what to do or not to do.”  Light blue eyes looked into Garnet’s, waiting for a response.

            Garnet stepped forward and pulled Pearl in for a tight hug.

            “This,” she spoke into the smaller woman’s ear, “this is what you do,” she explained as she cupped Pearl’s cheeks and looked at her.  “You communicate, you open up and learn how to give yourself to another.  It’s terrifying because you are giving that person the keys to hurt you the deepest.”

            The two lovers held each other for a few moments.

            “Thank you for telling me about your families.  It’s hard to hear what happened to your family in Ocean Town, but I’m also glad that you do have a family here in Jersey.”

            “Yeah,” Pearl looked away for a second.  “I still spend time with Rose regularly, kinda like how you do with your mothers.”

            Garnet smiled.  “Thank you, Pearl.  You have no idea how much that meant to me, being allowed to get to know you a little better.  It was frustrating me a lot to not know those basic things about you or to have a solid understanding of how you feel towards me.  I get doubts in regard to our relationship too and it helps to have a verbal reassurance along with everything else.”  The curly haired woman paused for a moment.  “Did you want to talk at all about those events?”

            “Oh stars no, that’s all you’re getting out of me tonight,” Pearl retorted in her usual tone.

            “So no job related stuff?”

            “No, not yet.”

            The taller woman nodded.  “I can wait.”

            “I’m sorry for insinuating that you had been cheating on me,” Pearl mumbled against her neck.

            Garnet tipped the pale woman’s head up.  “That hurt a lot.  Please don’t jump to conclusions like that again without solid proof, ok?”

            “I made a pretty big jump when I decided to sleep with you that night I went home with you.”

            A chuckle rumbled from her chest at the memory of their first night.  “I did too by inviting you over.”  Garnet placed a quick kiss on her lips.  “Just, don’t be so eager to throw me under the bus next time, ok?  Give me a chance to explain.”

            “Fiinnneeee,” Pearl dramatically conceded.

            The dark woman pulled her in again and kissed her softly.  Mouths were quickly opened and clothes were discarded piece by piece as they made their way to the bedroom.

 

            Smooth fabric rubbed against her bare skin as Garnet shifted in her bed.  A hand reached out for her lover, only to find a cold spot on her bed.  The athletic woman opened her eyes and looked around.  Pearl’s clothes were gone, leaving a broken trail of Garnet’s attire in the house.  Brown eyes glanced back at her night stand.

            _No note…Pearl always leaves a note…_

When the two had become serious in their relationship, Garnet had asked Pearl that whenever she had to leave suddenly that she either wake Garnet up or write a note explaining why she was gone.  The curly haired woman sat up in her bed, an empty feeling growing from her chest.  Getting to learn more about Pearl last night had helped to ease many of her thoughts, but waking up in the morning by herself without a note or anything hurt.  She pushed away her growing negativity and checked her phone, which had been on her nightstand since before Pearl came over last night, only to see no messages from the woman either.  Garnet stared blankly down at her open palms, the phone falling uselessly onto the covers.  A brown moth fluttered down and landed in her right palm.  The woman froze, now was her chance to kill the pest.  It rotated in her hand and looked up at her.

            _She doesn’t love you._

Any vigor Garnet had to smash it was extinguished in that instant.  It was true.  Pearl didn’t.  At best Pearl liked her.  Movement in her peripherals dragged her attention to her other hand where a black moth settled in her left palm.  It regarded her with it’s large eyes.

            _She doesn’t trust you._

“She does!” Garnet cried out.  “Why else would she share all of that with me!”

            _She doesn’t trust you enough._

Garnet willed her hands to crush the two moths, but they didn’t have the strength to.

            _She doesn’t love you._

Hot tears ran down her cheeks as Garnet bowed her head in despair as the emptiness continued to spread through her entire body.

            “No!” she quickly wiped away her tears causing the moths to flutter out of sight.  “She just needs more time, she is worth waiting for.  It won’t happen all at once, but it will happen.”

            The thought came back one more time as she picked up her clothes.

            _She doesn’t love you._

Garnet pushed it away determined to not let it bring her down.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is back in the present! That was my interpretation of what happened to Ocean Town and why it was advertised as no longer being on fire. I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> And once again, thanks to my awesome Beta readers Unrequited and Shady Winters for all of their help in making this story great!


	12. Hard Looks and Harsh Words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, we are back in the present.  
> *There is a content warning for this chapter in that the topic of Mistreatment by the Police will be part of it. Just a heads up.*

^^^^^^

Garnet speaks with Amethyst following the capture of the Jack Crowbars meth cook.

^^^^^^

 

            Bismuth wished Garnet farewell the following Saturday morning after spending the night trading stories and reminiscing on their time as partners.  The stocky woman had recently been promoted to Lieutenant, a rank she had earned several years ago, in Garnet’s opinion.  After doing her regular cleaning on Saturday, the tall cop changed into a good pair of jeans and a red graphic t-shirt.  With her sunglasses securely in place, the woman strolled out towards the boardwalk, she had a friend to find and repay for her crucial help.  It took an hour to find the teen hanging out by one of the docks throwing some rocks into the calm waves.  Garnet was surprised to see her here, she had checked all of Amethyst’s usual places first before coming to this area.  A wide grin spread across her face as she walked up to Amethyst.

            “How you doing Sport?” she called out in greeting.

            Amethyst glanced at her before throwing another rock.  “Oh hey…” came a grumbled response.

            _Huh?_

Garnet walked up next to her, leaning against the nearby railing.

            “So I owe you for helping me out a lot with that case.  What would you like?  I could make you one of my specialty dishes, or…” she glanced at the Big Donut in the distance “I know you like doughnuts.  What would you like, not something too crazy, but something you’d really enjoy.”

            “Forget it, I don’t want anything from you,” Amethyst lowly stated as she picked up a big rock and chucked it into the ocean with a grunt.

            Garnet frowned, her eyes carefully watching Amethyst behind her reflective shades.

            “Is something bothering you?”

            The teen scoffed.  “Why do you think that?”

            “I just remember you telling me that you were going to hold me to my promise of returning a favor for your help.  Now you’re telling me to forget it?” the curly haired woman shrugged.  “Something must have happened to change that.”

            Amethyst glared out at the ocean.

            “I thought you cared about me,” she angrily stated.

            Garnet pulled back slightly.

            _What?_

“I thought you wanted to be friends with me because you wanted to, not so that you could just use me to help you with your stupid job!”

            The taller woman’s mouth fell open slightly.

            “I thought, you know, that it was nice that you wanted to be friends and that you didn’t treat me like some hopeless piece of shit,” Amethyst continued; turning to glare at Garnet.  “But it was all just a lie!  You only wanted to be friends with this ‘troublemaking delinquent’ so that you could take advantage of the bad stuff I’d get into!  So, you could then have everyone clapping you on the back for catching the bad guy!”

            “Amethyst, that’s not at all why I became friends with you,” Garnet countered.

            “Well then why the fuck would you, a cop, want to be friends with someone like me?!  There had to be some self-centered reasoning behind it!”

            “I became friends with you because I wanted to, I wanted you to trust me so that I could help you if something ever happened,” the cop tried to explain.

            “Yeah so I can get into trouble and you come in and save the day like the ‘hero’ you are.”  Violet eyes rolled around dramatically.

            “No!  Like if you got in an accident or someone was hurting you, you would feel like you could come to me and I could help you out.”

            “Oh yeah?  Pearl says you just make friends with troublemakers so that you can use them to get to the bigger troublemakers and lock ‘em up or kill them.”

            “I didn’t become your friend to use you Amethyst.  I thought you were fun and made things more interesting in this kinda dull place.” Garnet paused.  “Wait, Pearl said that?”

            “Yeah, she sure did,” Amethyst folded her arms across her chest smugly.  “She told me how you screwed her over, how you used her to shut down one of the biggest gangs in Jersey and kill the leader.  That your relationship with her was just a cover for acquiring the information on the gang.”

            Garnet’s hands shook, her breathing began to escalate as her well maintained rage crept back up.

            _I’m not mad at Amethyst, she didn’t do anything, Pearl is the one at fault here._

She breathed out evenly, and slowly relaxed her posture.  It wasn’t going to help to try and refute what Pearl had told Amethyst, the two had known each other longer and the teen obviously trusted Pearl more than her.

            “Would you like to know why I decided to become a cop, and why, I like to become friends with those the other cops like to call troublemakers and delinquents?”

            “Sure, why not?” Amethyst rolled her eyes.

            Garnet sat down and dangled her long legs off the edge of the dock.  She motioned for Amethyst to come take a seat as well.  Reluctantly the teen sat down a couple of feet from her.

            “When I was in high school I wasn’t the most outstanding role model.  Sure I got above average grades and was the star of our track team in the sprinting events, but outside of that I was a troublemaker.  My friend, Cherise, and I got into a lot of low-key mischief, mostly relatively harmless pranks and hanging out in sketchy places.  One of our favorite pastimes was to goad people into racing bets against me.  A simple dash down one or two blocks with maybe twenty dollars on the line.  I never lost, not only was I fast, but running down busy streets or jumping over obstacles was my bread and butter.  We got a few warnings from some of the Jersey cops for disturbing the peace and such, but nothing serious.  Cherise would occasionally skip school and encourage me to do the same, however, I never did, my mothers would have grounded me faster than I could sprint,” the dark woman began.  “Cherise and I were two peas in a pod, inseparable friends, oftentimes confused for sisters, that got into trouble together and got out of trouble together.  She was my best friend.”

            “So, you were like me,” Amethyst spoke up.

            Garnet nodded.  “Yup, I didn’t think about my future and I just passed my days doing things I found fun.  My life was good, I had a future in track, and my family loved me.”  A frown fell onto Garnet’s face.  “It wasn’t the same for Cherise.  Things at home for her were difficult.  She used the pranks and bets as some of her ways to escape the trouble at home.  School wasn’t going as well for her, mostly because she skipped class a lot.  I tried to encourage her and help her with school and any number of random things, but never really tried to directly help her out with what might have been going on at home.  I didn’t really know what I could do for her in that area except be someone she could spend her time with having fun and escaping reality.”  Garnet’s voice dropped lower as she threaded her fingers together.  “Back then I didn’t know much about drugs and the signs if someone was on them.  One day in our junior year I was going to meet up with Cherise after school for some of our usual fun, but I was late because I was called into the office about my late transportation fee for track that year.  An hour later I arrived at our meeting place to see my friend lying on the ground unconscious.  I rushed over to see what was wrong.  Her heart was racing insanely fast under her hot skin and her limbs were twitching uncontrollably.  I tried calling out to her, trying to figure out what the hell was going on, but she wasn’t responsive.  On the low wall in our meeting spot there was a razor and several lines of white powder.  Not knowing what it was I touched the substance and accidentally inhaled a fraction of it when I tried to decipher what it was.  Immediately I jumped back from the stuff and wiped the powder off me, blowing out my nose to try and get it all out.  In that minute my friend stopped moving and her heart rate ceased.  Now panicking, I called 911 and explained to the operator as calmly as I could that I needed urgent medical attention for my friend.  They talked me through how to perform CPR to try and help her until the ambulance arrived.”

            Garnet took a deep breath and scratched the back of her neck.  Amethyst stared at her with rapt attention.

            “The cops arrived first,” the curly haired woman swallowed.  “They took one look at the white powder and immediately began to interrogate me and demand that I surrender the rest of it.  I refuted the claims saying I didn’t know what it was and that I was the one that called 911 for help.  They didn’t listen.  One cop collected the powder while the other pulled me away from Cherise as I was trying to keep performing CPR on her.  Before I knew what was happening I was handcuffed and shoved into the back of a police car under the accusation of possessing and using illegal drugs.  I yelled at them telling them that my friend needed help and that she was going to die, but they just called Cherise a useless druggie and that it was better if she did just die.  Hysterical, I tried to break out of the car; kicking, shoving, trying every knob and handle I could find.  It was all in vain, I could only watch my friend laying lifelessly on the ground as I was taken away.  My only solace came from seeing the ambulance arrive at our spot, hopefully they would be able to save my friend.”  Garnet blinked back a couple of tears.  “In the station I was roughly searched and handcuffed to a chair as the two officers continued to interrogate me on where I got the cocaine from, who I bought it from, etc.  I shouted back saying I had never used the stuff and that I had no idea where my friend had got it.  They countered saying that there were obvious traces of the substance around my nose and hands.  I tried to explain that I had just touched it, but they wouldn’t have any of it.  By then I had become a hysterical, livid, mess, tears running down my face as I called those men any and all names I could think of; shouting at the top of my lungs what pieces of shit they were and that they would be responsible for my friend’s death.  At that point in time another voice silenced ours as a female cop with skin like mine burst in.  She demanded from the two officers ‘why the hell were two male cops in a room with a female teenager and no other females present?’  They tried to explain but she shut them both down and took over.  She ordered one to leave and for the other to quickly explain their reasoning for bringing me in.  He told her I was brought in for the illegal possession and use of cocaine.  I refuted his claim once again trying to explain my side of the story through my hysterical state.  The female cop walked over to me and crouched so we were eye level.  She calmly asked me what had happened.  I demanded to know what had happened to my friend and told her I would take a drug test to prove I was clean.  It took a while for her to help me settle down, but eventually I did and my side of the story came out in one piece.  Officer Bismuth, that was her name, slowly nodded after hearing my side of the story.  She apologized for my unjust treatment and undid the handcuffs.  She kindly asked me to wait there while she straightened things and found out what had happened to my friend.  I could hear every word that came out of her mouth as she yelled at the two cops for their inexcusable actions outside of the room I was in.  Even though I could be considered a suspect for the possession of the drugs, their first responsibility was to ensure the safety of the people they served and that I was innocent until proven guilty.  On top of that, their complete disregard for my unconscious friend was going to land them in serious trouble.”

            Garnet wiped away a tear from under her sunglasses.

            “In the end, my drug test came out spotless, I was released, my mothers picked me up that night from the station, and Bismuth was working on finding out what happened to my friend Cherise.  She promised that I would be the first person she told once she found out.  I went back to school the next day despite how shaken and torn up I was about my friend’s condition and being treated like that.  I wasn’t going to prove to either of those two cops right that I was just another troublemaker that needed to be cleared off the street.  That evening Officer Bismuth dropped by our house to deliver the message regarding my friend.”  Garnet’s throat tightened.  “Cherise died in transit to the hospital.  Cardiovascular failure along with a stroke as a result of overdosing on cocaine.  I had no idea she had been using it.  Granted, when I researched the signs of someone on cocaine, many of her random behaviors or odd moments started to make sense.  She had probably gotten bored when I hadn’t arrived at the usual time and had just kept cutting line after line.  Officer Bismuth did her best to apologize for what had happened and informed me that the two officers were being demoted and suspended for their actions.  I thanked her for letting me know and then just went for a run once she left.  Cherise’s death made me just as angry as I was heartbroken for losing my best friend.  I was furious at the cops and hated them for causing her death.  I continued my pranks and troublemaking, but would target the police officers whenever I could.  Run a trip wire here, dump a bucket of water there, box in a parked police car with dumpsters.  If they ever did see me, they could never catch me.  My mothers tried to help me out through this hard time and encourage me to participate in less delinquent activities in my spare time, but I resisted.  One day in the beginning of my senior year, I was chilling in one of my places when a police officer walked up to me.  I was about to tell them to fuck off when I recognized them.  It was Officer Bismuth.  She asked if she could speak with me.  I fully expected a lecture on my behavior, or a warrant for my arrest, but she just talked with me, asked me about myself and how I was doing.  I gave her minimal answers.  After a few minutes, she left and wished me a good day.  The trend continued for several days until I asked her why she was talking with me.  Officer Bismuth admitted that she had figured out that it was me who was causing random trouble for the officers, especially since two specific officers were usually on the receiving end of my pranks.  She then asked me what good I was putting my incredible speed towards.  I shrugged and told her that I was working towards a track scholarship.  Officer Bismuth was interested and asked me to let her know when my next home meet was.”

            Garnet chuckled and shook her head.

            “Really?  Of all things that’s what she wanted to talk about?  Not a warning or scolding for what you had done?” Amethyst asked, slightly bouncing up and down from anticipation.

            “Yup.  I was surprised when at my first home meet I heard her cheering for me in the stands, right next to my mother Sapphire.  Almost missed a hurdle as a result, but I still won the race easily.  She came to every one she could after that.  I stopped my pranks and began to work through my pain with a more productive approach.  While the cops certainly held part of the blame, there were others that shared in Cherise’s death, especially the one who had given or sold the cocaine to her.  By the time I had graduated from high school I knew what I wanted to do.  I accepted a small scholarship to run for a local community college while I got my Associates of Science in Law Enforcement.  In two years, I was standing amongst a group of candidates to begin the initial physical examination as part of the training for the Jersey Police Academy.  The best part had to be Officer Bismuth’s reaction when she saw me in the group.  She was the one monitoring the training that day, due to the regular officer being sick.”

            “What did she say?” Amethyst grinned.

            “She couldn’t say anything at first, she had no idea I had been planning on becoming an officer.  I told her that I found something good to use my incredible speed for.  She just laughed and told me that I better have some action to back up those words.  I then proceeded to finish first out of all the candidates.”

            Amethyst burst out laughing.  “And then you became a cop?!”

            “Yup.  I completed the academy with the highest marks out of anyone and was ironically assigned to the same precinct I had been hauled into years before.”

            “Even after all of that?  Why?  I mean you weren’t in the wrong for being mad about what happened to you and your friend, that was seriously messed up.”

            “I wanted to be like Bismuth,” Garnet stated seriously.  “I wanted to be the cop that kids like you and me, could trust.  Someone who wouldn’t jump to conclusions, but would take their time to catch the real bad guys and help out those who were struggling.  Just like what Bismuth had done for me.  I wasn’t doing all of those things like giving you rides, or homework, or chatting with you just so I could use you, I did it because I wanted to get to know you and I wanted you to know me.  I’m here to help,” she said as she turned to look at the teen.

            The silver haired teen smiled slightly.

            “And, I’m still super proud of you for surrendering that meth and helping me out with catching that cook.  I would have never been able to find him without your help.”

            “So why didn’t you put my name down for credit?” Amethyst put her hands on her hips in fake offense.

            “To protect you.  Gangs will go after anyone who helps to put one of their own in jail.  It’s ok if they go after me, but I didn’t want you or Peridot to be put in that kind of danger.”

            “Oh…that makes sense.”

            “Which is why I wanted to do something for you in return, since I couldn’t credit you properly.”

            “But what about what Pearl told me about you using her?”

            The dark woman sighed heavily.  “Pearl is both uninformed and holding onto some opinions on the circumstances that are not accurate.  I loved Pearl, I didn’t use her.”

            “Woah, really?!  She told me you two just used to fuck.”

            Garnet let out a scoff of a laugh.  “I guess that would be accurate from her point of view.  But, we’re not talking about that, we are talking about you and your concerns.”  She quickly changed topics.  “Do you have any questions for me?”

            “Have you ever had to kill someone?”

            “Yes.”

            “Was it hard?”

            “Pulling a trigger doesn’t take much effort, but seeing someone die as result is incredibly heavy.  Even though it was a life or death situation where I had to choose between their life or my partner’s, it’s something I’ve never been able to forget.”

            “Oh…”

            The two sat in silence for a few minutes.

            “Thanks… Officer G,” Amethyst began, “You know for caring and stuff.”

            “When I’m not in uniform you can call me Garnet,” the curly haired woman smiled.  “And you’re welcome.”

            “Yeah, ok, G.  Thanks, I’m sorry I got all upset at you.”

            “Don’t worry about it, it was understandable considering what you had been told.”

            “I have another question.”

            “Shoot.”

            “Can I take back my statement about forgetting about your reward for me?” the short teen timidly halfway smiled.

            Garnet laughed and pulled her in for a side hug and ruffled her long hair.

            “Hey!” Amethyst pulled away and took a playful swing at Garnet.

            The dark woman easily blocked it and the few others the teen tried to throw at her.  Amethyst sat back down and laughed, grinning from ear to ear.

            “So, what does the awesome Amethyst want as a token of my gratitude?”

            “Hmmm,” the silver haired teen glanced thoughtfully at the Big Donut and continued to scan the area around them.  “Hmmmmmmmmm,” she tapped her finger against her round lips.  “Can you teach me how to fight?”

            A covered eyebrow was raised up.  “How to fight?  Like what kind?”

            “Like how to throw a good punch and block a few, you know, the stuff you did just now.”

            “Hmmm,” Garnet purposefully drug out her deliberation.  “Deal.”

            “Aw sweet!  So what do we do?  Can I like come over to your place and we spar or something?”

            “Well now it wouldn’t be appropriate for you to come over to my house by yourself, but we can meet up on the beach and I can teach you how to punch, kick, and block.  I’ve got some equipment that will help with that kind of training.”

            “Awesome!  I’m super stoked, when can we start?  Can we start now?”

            “Unfortunately, not until I recover from my concussion, so we can’t start until next Saturday.”

            “Awww,” Amethyst slumped.

            “But I expect you to be ready for me to train you, I’m not gonna go easy on you.”

            “Heh, we’ll see about that!” the teen jumped to her feet.  “I’m ready whenever you are G-man.”

            “Next Saturday, 2pm at this dock, be here or be square,” Garnet smirked as she stood up.

            “I will!” she gave Garnet a mock salute.  Amethyst then quickly wrapped her arms around the taller woman’s waist and hugged her.  “Thanks, G, for everything.”

            The dark woman hesitated at first to hug her, but then returned it.  “Anytime.  I’m here for you whenever things are going well or not.”

            Amethyst stepped back.

            “See you later then?”

            Garnet nodded.  “Have a good rest of your Saturday.”

            “You too!” the silver haired teen returned as she ran off.

            The woman didn’t say anything, but just waved.  Her smile fell as her mind brought up a topic that needed to be addressed.

            _Pearl…_

Garnet steeled herself as she headed off to confront the troublesome woman.

 

            Thin flats flopped against the hard concrete as Pearl walked aimlessly towards another destination.  It had only taken five minutes for Kofi to notice her standing to the side of his shop.  Chapped lips pushed a stream of white vapor into the air as bony fingers held onto the cigarette for a moment.  The evening breeze ruffled her short, thin hair.  Dull eyes looked up and stared at the sun.  The orange sphere was starting to make its descent towards the horizon.  In the corner of her eyes she noticed Garnet walking on the same side of the sidewalk as her.  Pearl pushed a grumble past her lips and crossed to the other side.  Garnet did the same.  The pale woman’s mind quickly read the other’s body language.  Garnet was walking towards her, her thick lips set in a firm line, and an ever so slight rigidity to her movements.

“We need to talk,” came the accented voice as soon as the dark woman was close enough to be heard.

            “Fuck no,” Pearl snapped as she turned away and began walking faster.

            Garnet stepped in front of her in just seconds.

            “We are going to talk,” she tensely stated.

            “There’s nothing we have to talk about so fuck off before I get pissed,” Pearl warned.

            “Why did you say all of that about me to Amethyst?”

            “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

            “Yes, you do, Pearl.”

            “Oh what, the truth about how you use people to do better in your job?  I sure hope she listened to me,” the smoker waved her hand as she turned away and began another attempt to avoid the pest.

            “I wasn’t using Amethyst and I didn’t use you either,” Garnet stated from where she stood.

            Now Pearl was mad.  She whirled around and faced the woman.

            “Oh my stars you are just so full of shit, you won’t even admit what you did even after all these years?!”

            “ _I_ didn’t do anything to you Pearl,” Garnet growled.

            “That’s a lie and you know it!  You tracked me, you made several of our deals fail, you got several of our members jailed, you planned the raid on the meeting, and you killed Rose!”

“I did none of those things!  The only thing I did was try and love you the best I knew how!”

Pearl scoffed.  “You’re a real piece of work.  You have the gall to stand here and say that after everything you did?”

“Yes, I was involved that night, but-”

“Just shut the fuck up.  You used me, just admit to it.  For once admit what you did.”

“I never used you, Pearl,” Garnet spoke through gritted teeth as she took a step closer.

The pale woman rolled her eyes.  “And you _need_ to wear those stupid ass sunglasses all the time.  You don’t need those, I know that for a damn fact!  Just like how I know that you used me!”

With that she reached out and snatched the offending object off of Garnet’s face in a split second.  The dark woman flinched and quickly covered her left eye with her hand while the right eye blinked rapidly, adjusting to the soft, yet still bright light of the evening sun.

“What?  Does that hurt?”

“Give me back my sunglasses, Pearl,” came the low angry voice.  “I need them.”

“Bullshit, you never wore sunglasses back then,” Pearl rolled her eyes as she twirled the object around her fingers.  She looked back at Garnet who was turned away and still covering her eye.  “What?  Is the harsh light of reality making it hard for you to look me in the eye after what you did?” she taunted the dark woman.

Garnet stilled her movements and faced Pearl fully.  She rolled her shoulders back and stood at her full height of six feet and three inches; her uncovered eye glaring down at Pearl.  Slowly the hand covering her other eye was removed.  Garnet blinked a couple of times, but then stared Pearl down with both of her eyes.  Pearl’s oncoming retort was caught in her throat as she took in the sight.  Garnet’s right eye was the familiar deep brown, but it was filled with a rage Pearl had never been on the receiving side of.  Light blue eyes traveled sideways to look at the left eye.  A thick scar ran down the middle of the skin around Garnet’s eye.  It traveled from just above her eyebrow through the upper eyelid, then jumped and ran from the beginning of the lower eyelid to just above Garnet’s square cheek bones.  But that wasn’t the most startling part.  The eye itself was crudely cracked in the middle, in-line with the scar on the dark skin.  One half remained the deep brown while the outside half, including the pupil, had faded to a milky white.  Pearl pulled back in surprise and disgust.

“When did _that_ happen?” she sneered.

Garnet looked at her with nothing but contempt and thinly veiled rage.

“The night you left me to die.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger! (don't hate me) Next chapter will jump back to the past.  
> For those of you who wish to see a depiction of Garnet's eyes, you can view it here http://thetruthampere.tumblr.com/image/156782181478


	13. Four Years Ago

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the big mystery will be revealed below. We are back in the past. Just a general reminder this story can get a little dark.

^^^^^^

What happened all those years ago?

^^^^^^

 

            The meeting was brief and well structured.  Thirty plus of Jersey’s police offers were gathered in the room listening intensely to the plan being laid out.  First, they were going to surround the warehouse and issue the warning for the members of the Dumpster Jumpers and Rose Thorns to come out peacefully.  If in the time frame given they did not surrender, the police officers in riot gear would move in, slowly taking one level at a time.  Their force should be enough to handle the ten to fifteen gang members that were to be present at the meeting.  Casualties were to be kept to a minimum and only under extreme circumstances should either of the leaders, Metal Bin and Rose, be killed.  Both needed to be brought to justice alive.  Detailed descriptions were given of the two, Rose by far being the much easier one for Garnet to remember.  A woman who stood taller than herself wouldn’t be easy to miss.  Garnet shifted slightly in her seat as she memorized the area she would be going into.  She was part of the second of three waves of officers to enter and push through the main storage unit of the warehouse.  From there she was to move up and search through all of the business rooms and subdue all gang members she came across.  Right next to her, Bismuth placed a large hand on her shoulder.  They shared a comforting smile.  In five minutes, everyone was dismissed to gear up and get ready to head out.

            Garnet put on her riot gear silently along with Bismuth.

            “It’s a bummer we didn’t get assigned to the same wave,” the taller offhandedly commented.

            “Don’t worry, I’ll be in the wave right behind you, so if you run into any trouble I’ll be there to help you out,” Bismuth grinned.  “Got your radio?”

            “Yup.”

            “Gun?”

            “Locked and loaded.”

            “Shield?”

            “Right here.”

            “Helmet?”

            Garnet knocked the item protecting her head.

            “Just remember, Dumpster Jumpers usually go for the kill.”

            “I know, I’ll stay safe.  You too, don’t be so busy that you don’t watch your back.”

            “I won’t,” Bismuth winked.

            They clasped their hands together, then walked towards the vans they would be taking to the gangs’ meeting place.

            “Pearl ain’t gonna be mad for you being out late on a Friday, is she?” Bismuth lightly teased.

            “Nah, she’s got work tonight too, we’ll be catching up on Sunday.”

            “Well that’s a relief, didn’t want your date night to get ruined.”

            Garnet laughed as she turned to head towards the vehicle she was assigned to.

           

            It took only minutes for the police to arrive and spread out around the large warehouse.  Garnet stayed crouched behind the large van waiting for her signal to advance.  The flood lights were turned on and the warning was issued.  In what seemed only moments, faint pops were heard coming from the building.  Internal fire.  The first wave was ordered to immediately charge in.  Gun shots rang out in their area instantly.  The first wave made it in.  Garnet let out a steadying breath.  Her commander gave the order and the second wave moved in.  She sprinted and easily slipped into the large warehouse without any shots coming her direction.  The first wave was caught in a deadly shoot out with the Dumpster Jumpers, progress was moving slow.  Garnet frowned, from what she could tell, there were definitely way more than ten or fifteen gang members in this area alone.  Despite this error in information and the resulting stand-off, they needed to move quickly, otherwise the gang leaders could escape.  Her wave fanned out with half backing up the first wave, while the other half spread out to search the rest of the building.  Garnet crept along the back of the main storage unit, carefully watching a Dumpster Jumper moving along the catwalks above her.  His back was towards her and he didn’t seem to be looking anywhere else but forward.  She didn’t have a good angle to shoot to disarm him, but she would find one soon enough.  The Dumpster Jumper sped up his walk then stopped, raising his automatic rifle to take aim.  Garnet followed his line of vision only to have her heart stop.  She could recognize that mess of strawberry blonde hair and leather jacket anywhere.  The officer dropped her shield and sprinted faster than she had ever before, tackling and using her body to shield the unsuspecting woman from the two sets of bullets that dug through the back of her riot gear and pushed against her bullet proof vest.  Garnet hissed in pain from the hits, but she had protected Pearl and that’s all that mattered.  However, they didn’t have any time to greet each other, he was bound to keep shooting and they needed cover.  Garnet frantically picked the pale woman up and dashed several rows over, stopping behind a large pallet to create temporary cover from their assailant.  She let out a sigh of relief when she looked up and there were no catwalks above their spot.  It would take longer for their attacker to find them.

            “What the fuck!” Pearl cried out as she lashed out, punching and striking every inch of Garnet she could; her strikes harmlessly bouncing off of the riot gear or hitting her tough arms.  “Let go of me you fucking cop!”

            “Pearl calm down!” she tried as she kneeled down to set Pearl on her butt.

            “How the fuck do you know my name!” she snarled as she tried to punch Garnet again.

            The officer sighed as she caught Pearl’s hand with her gloved one and quickly removed her helmet.

            “It’s me Pearl, Garnet.”  She looked at her lover with tired but relieved eyes; sighing lightly because her secret was now blown out of the water.

            Pearl stared at her for a full ten seconds, her face slowly contorting to greater levels of horror with each second as the realization dawned on her.

            “YOU’RE A FUCKING COP?!” the pale woman exclaimed.

            Garnet shrugged and nodded.  “Yes, I am.  Now I need to get you out of here, it’s dangerous.  I can explain once you’re safe.”

            When Garnet made a move towards her girlfriend, Pearl quickly scooted back, her mouth hanging open in shock.

            “You’re a fucking cop?!” she repeated in a slightly quieter tone.

            “Yes.  Now we need to get out of here, the one guy who tried to shoot you is going to find us any second.”

            Pearl looked away.  “But that...” she trailed off.  “YOU!” she pointed her finger at Garnet, her eyes filled with rage.  “You tipped them off didn’t you!  The mole wasn’t on their side it was YOU!  How long have you known!!”

            “What?” the officer stared at Pearl with confusion.  “Known what?”

            “You fucking piece of shit.”

            “Wait, what?  Pearl you’re not making any sense right now.”

            “YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!” the pale woman screeched as she moved towards Garnet, lashing out with her fists and feet.

            “Hey!  Pearl, stop it,” Garnet tried to speak between blocking and absorbing the various blows.

            Garnet caught one leg and pulled Pearl closer, trying to wrangle the woman so she would stop moving and they could get out of there before anyone killed them both.  In the frenzy of limbs and cursing, the faint click of a gun was heard.

            “Let go of me,” came a low murderous tone.

            The curly haired woman looked up to see a gun pointed right between her eyes and being held by none other than her girlfriend Pearl.

            “Pearl?” Garnet carefully asked.

            “I said let go of me.”

            Garnet released Pearl’s leg and put her hands up in surrender.  When did Pearl have a gun?  Brown eyes darted to her side where her empty holster was and then back at the gun.  It was _her_ gun.  During their little scramble Pearl had snatched Garnet’s gun.

            “Pearl, what are you doing?”

            The strawberry blonde stood up, keeping the gun trained on Garnet the whole time.

            “You betrayed me,” she harshly whispered.

            “What?  Pearl,” Garnet began as she slowly got to her feet.  “Please put the gun down.  Let me explain.”

            “How long have you known?” Pearl stared at her with nothing but disgust.

            “Known what?!”

            “Oh don’t play dumb with me, Garnet.”

            “I really don’t know what you’re talking about, but we need to get out of here, there’s a shootout going on and I don’t want either of us getting hurt.  Please give me back my gun and I’ll make sure you’ll get out of here safely.”

            “You’re a fucking cop, just how long have you been using me to get information on us?”

            “Us?”

            “The Rose Thorns!”

            “The-?” it finally clicked.

            Pearl was part of a gang, the Rose Thorns.  That was what she did for work.  Garnet internally reeled from the realization.

            “How long have you been leaking our information to your buddies!” Pearl demanded.

            “I-I haven’t,” Garnet stammered through her shock.

            “Bullshit, why else would you be with someone like me?  You’ve just been using me this whole time haven’t you!”

            “No!  Pearl I love you!  I had no idea you were part of a gang.”

            “Oh shut up!  Save your excuses for someone who cares.”

            “Pearl, please give me back my gun and I’ll explain everything, I love you and I want to take you to safety.”

            Pearl scoffed.  “Safety?  Yeah right.”

            “Pearl, please give me a chance to explain,” Garnet tried again.

            “Explain what?  That you slept with me for two years as a cover for being a mole?  Just how many times did you go through my phone?  How many bugs are in my apartment or how many conversations did you listen in on?”

            “I never did any of those!  Pearl I love you, please let’s get out of here and just talk.  I’ll explain everything about my job.”

            The pale woman held up her other hand and shook her head.

            “I might be doing illegal stuff for my job, but at least I’m not you, pretending to love someone while secretly stabbing them in the back.”

            “Pearl-”

            Garnet’s words trailed off as she stared into light blue eyes that were void of any emotion.

            “I hate you,” came Pearl’s even voice.

            The pop of the gun was accompanied by the metal bullet tearing through her leg.  Garnet fell sideways, gasping out in pain and clutching the middle of her right thigh as her body collapsed onto the cold, unforgiving concrete.  She watched, unable to speak for the moment as Pearl calmly wiped the gun down with a white rag; her mind reeling from the pain and shock of what just happened.

            “Pearl,” she weakly got out.

            The pale woman took a few steps away and set the gun down on the concrete.

            “Please…Pearl…”

            Pearl gave her one last look of contempt before slinking away and heading for the exit.  Garnet reached after her with a blood covered hand.  Hot tears began to make their way down her cheeks as her heart was shattered into pieces.

            “Pearl…”

            _Let me explain…_

            Garnet retracted her hand, the tips of her fingers brushing against the grey concrete marring it with claw like marks of her vibrant blood.  She pressed her hand against the entry wound on the top of her quadricep while the other was pressed against the exit wound formed in her hamstrings; both working together to try and slow the heavy blood flow coming from her leg.  A strangled gasp escaped her lips.  Her mind was spinning, half screaming at her in pain for her leg, half trying to figure out what the hell just happened, and another half crying out for her broken heart.  For a full minute she just stared at the area Pearl had stood in only moments ago as tears continued to stream down her paralyzed face.  It was all she could do until her survival instincts kicked in.  She needed to call for backup, she needed to let someone know she was down.  Garnet removed one hand and opened up the radio clipped onto her shoulder.  She took a deep breath and steadied her voice as much as she could.

            “Officer Bailey down, need medical assistance ASAP.  Located on the left half of the main storage unit.  Officer Bailey down, need medical assistance ASAP.  Located on the left half of the main storage unit.”

            She pressed her hand against the wound again, leaving her radio open.  Brown eyes closed, pushing a couple more tears down her cheeks as a pathetic whimper slipped past her lips.  Backup would come, she just had to wait.

            “Well, well, well,” a voice broke through the pain engulfing Garnet’s mind as the sounds of a few pairs of boots walked up to her.

            Eyes snapped open to see them approach her from behind, slowly circling her, looking down at her with sadistic satisfaction.  Garnet frantically searched for something to defend herself, but her gun lay uselessly out of reach.  A bloodied hand reached for her Taser while the other tried to help her sit up into a more defensive position.  Officer Bailey gritted her teeth in agony as a fresh wave of pain raced up and down her leg as the result of shifting any muscles near her gunshot wound.  She pulled out her Taser and aimed as they closed in on her.  The nearest one casually kicked her hand holding the pathetic weapon; the electrodes shooting out into the air instead of hitting a target.  He then kicked her hard in the sternum.  The force knocking her back against the concrete with a grunt of pain.

            “If it isn’t Speedy lying on the ground with a leg wound.  Let’s take a look at it,” the Dumpster Jumper smirked as he crouched down to examine her now exposed wound.  “Ooo, shot, right through it looks.”

            Another one stepped forward, one hand pressed against his side, blood staining that hand, while the other held onto an automatic rifle.

            “Thought it might be her, she moved so fast I barely saw her nab that Rose Thorn from out of my sights.”  He sneered down at her as he stepped on her bullet wound.

            Garnet clenched her teeth as she tried to keep back her cry of agony as much as possible.  She tried to move away from his boot.  However, any movement she made just hurt her leg more.

            “Hey Bitch!” the first spoke up.  “Stop squirming!”

            A steel toed boot collided against her face, snapping her head back and muddying her remaining thoughts.  He kicked again, hitting the same area of her left eye.

            “You put my buddies in jail!  I’m going to make you pay!” the first exclaimed as he kicked her again.

            Thick red fluid coated half of her vision, slowly seeping over to try and cover her other eye.  Garnet quickly closed her right eye to keep the blood out of it.  Another boot stomped on her injured leg.  She couldn’t think, she couldn’t move to defend herself or even prepare herself for where she was going to get hit next.  Other feet joined in kicking and stomping on her wherever she didn’t have protection.  All she could do was try and endure it, hoping that her backup would arrive any second.

            “Let’s finish her off and get the fuck out of here,” the one with the rifle ordered.

            Hands grabbed her arms and yanked her to her unsteady feet.  Garnet opened up her uninjured eye to see the one taking aim.

            “So long Speedy, we are not going to miss you.”

            A large explosion rocked the warehouse.  Garnet was dropped as the Dumpster Jumpers tried to maintain their footing.  The groan and creaking of twisting metal rumbled from not too far away.  In seconds Garnet heard a distinct crash of metal colliding with metal and pallets of boxes tumbling to the ground.

            “RUN!” The Dumpster Jumper with the automatic rifle shouted at his companions.

            He quickly shot at her.  Garnet pulled her arms up to shield her face.  The bullets hit her in the middle of her chest, forcing the air out of her lungs and causing her world to go dark.

 

            Garnet’s body suddenly snapped awake as it warned her that she was low on oxygen.  She tried to expand her lungs but her chest couldn’t move.  Arms pushed against the boxes that had slammed against them in an attempt to move and remove whatever heavy thing was sitting on her chest and body.  As the arms moved, the small and medium sized boxes collapsed further down on her face, but luckily stopped before she was completely crushed by them.  With her head temporarily safe, she maneuvered her arms down and felt out the pallet that was laying on her body.  Judging by the fact that she was still alive, this pallet had to be full of lighter goods than most and had not fallen from one of the higher levels of the metal shelves.  Garnet tried at first to push the pallet off with both her arms and legs only to be blinded by the pain shooting up from her right leg.  Fire burned in her lungs as her body ached for the oxygen it was not getting.  The dark woman positioned her arms under the wooden base of the pallet and pushed with all of her strength upwards.  It moved one inch.  One grateful, glorious inch.  Garnet gasped, filling her lungs with as much of the vital oxygen as possible.  However, in only a few moments, her arms ached and she knew that she would have to let it back down on her.  She took one last deep breath before slowly lowering it.  As the full weight rested on her chest, any air in her lungs was effectively forced out.  Officer Bailey silently cursed as her good eye looked around trying to discern what had happened.  The darkness caused by the boxes of goods piled over her only told her that she was buried with no chance escape.  Fire burned once again only moments later and she pushed the pallet off of her to breathe.

_Think!  There has to be a way out of this!_

            She still had her radio, if she could reach it, she could send a cry for help.  Garnet lowered the pallet back down and reached up for her radio.  Hands grabbed onto it and opened the channel, but she couldn’t speak without air in her lungs.  With her one arm she tried to push the pallet up enough to catch a breath, but it wouldn’t budge.  She had to choose between breathing and holding her radio open to speak into.  The hand released the radio and pushed up on the pallet once more.  Minutes trickled by as Garnet laid there preserving her life by sheer grit.  However, with each passing time of lifting the pallet off her chest and setting it back down, her hope began to dwindle as the strength in her arms weakened.

            “BAILEY!!”

            The voice bursting from her radio shocked her out of her hazy state.

            “BAILEY!  DO YOU COPY!?  BAILEY, DO YOU COPY?”

            It was Bismuth.  Garnet reached for her radio and opened her channel, but the air was already gone from her lungs.  White teeth gritted in frustration.  She closed the channel and stared up at her soon to be grave.

            “BAILEY!!”

            This time she heard it both in real life and from the radio.  Bismuth was looking for her, the woman wasn’t giving up.  Garnet opened and closed the channel once again.

            “BAILEY?  WAS THAT YOU?”

            She repeated the action, then pushed against the pallet to get her breath of life.

            “DO THAT AGAIN, TWICE FOR YES!”

            After recovering as much oxygen as she could for that time she set the pallet back down and opened and closed the radio channel twice.

            “YES! OK, CAN YOU HEAR MY ACTUAL VOICE?  ONCE IS NO, TWICE IS YES!”

            Two signals.

            “GOOD!  AM I CLOSE TO YOU?”

            One signal.  Several seconds passed before she heard Bismuth’s voice shouting once again.

            “AM I CLOSER NOW!?”

            One signal.

            “HOW ABOUT NOW?”

            Garnet cursed as she was in the middle of regaining her breath when Bismuth called in again.

            “BAILEY?  ARE YOU STILL WITH ME?”

            Two signals.

            “OK, AM I CLOSER TO YOU?”

            Two signals.  Bismuth continued to move around somewhere above as they played a version of hot and cold.  Garnet’s consciousness was wavering, the last time she was only barely able to push the pallet off her chest and take a couple of shallow breaths before her arms practically gave out.  She laid there, probably still bleeding, and listening for Bismuth’s voice that seemed farther and farther away with every passing second.

            “BAILEY?  CAN YOU HEAR ME?”

            It didn’t come from the radio at all, the voice was right next her, calling down from above.  Adrenaline lit up her body.  She had to let Bismuth know she was there.  Exhausted arms pushed against the pallet one final time.  Lungs pulled in three last breaths of air before expelling a desperate cry for help.  The weight landed back on her chest and the world slowly began to fade away.

 

            Faint sounds pulled her back.  The weight on her chest was steadily being reduced.  Before long she could expand her lungs enough to take shallow breaths.  One eye opened to look up at the blurry figure standing on piles of boxes tearing through the remains of the pallet that was sitting on her.  With each box that was frantically thrown off it became easier to breathe.

            “BAILEY!”

            In what seemed like seconds, Bismuth had removed all of the boxes covering her body. Garnet looked up at Bismuth and the tall wall of merchandise that surrounded them with her one open eye.  The older police officer cleared away a couple of boxes next to her and crouched down in the spot.

            “You’re alive, thank the stars!” Bismuth cried.

            Wet lines ran down her round cheeks from fresh tears.  Garnet tried to move, but was only greeted with pain.

            “Hey, take it easy, we will get you out of here and take care of you, ok?  Just stay with me.”

            Bismuth’s eyes wandered over her.

            “Who did this?!” she said more to herself than Garnet.  “I’ll make them pay.”

            Officer Bailey lifted her head slightly to look at her condition.  The lower half of her body was lying in a puddle of blood.  _Her_ blood.  Garnet’s eye widened at the sight and her breathing increased rapidly.

            “Hey, hey, calm down, stay with me Bailey,” Bismuth tried as she set a hand on the panicking officer’s shoulder.  “You’re going to be ok, just stay with me.”

            The woman’s words were drowned out by the ringing in Garnet’s ears as her vision tunneled before bathing her in darkness.

            “BAILEY!”

 

            Darkness was comforting, relaxing.  There was nothing, a complete void.  Garnet didn’t know how long she was in there, but she became more aware of where she was as time passed.  There would be moments when she could hear an annoying beep that would echo through the void she was floating in.  It generally accompanied the waves of pain that would bring her to higher levels of awareness, but the pain and beeping would always fade away before too long.  Voices called out to her, yet it was received as if they were muddled with water.  Pain brought her back again, pushing back the darkness and bringing greys and tans into her vision.  A cold, smaller hand grasped hers fracturing the void she was in.  Warmth enveloped her left hand as another held onto her.  Garnet’s hand twitched and the darkness began to crumble away.  Incessant beeping along with indiscernible voices greeted her consciousness.  One eye slowly opened, fighting against the lead weights that had to be holding it down.  Her right hand twitched again.  Cold hands held onto hers tighter, rubbing it lightly.

            “Garnet?”

            She knew that voice.

            “Garnet, Sweetie.”

            She knew who it was, why couldn’t she think of them?!

            Slowly things cleared up and she could finally see the woman holding onto her right hand.  Long black hair with blue highlights and bangs that covered the woman’s face.

            “Wake up Garnet.”

            Sapphire.  Her mother.  Garnet’s hand jerked as her lungs tried to draw in a deeper breath.  Why was everything so heavy?  The annoying beeping increased.  Whatever was making that sound needed to be crushed.  She gripped the cold hands back.

            “Garnet, Love,” came the soft voice.

            A soft kiss was pressed against her forehead.

            “Is she waking up?!” another familiar voice called from her other side.

            “Yes, just barely.”

            “I’m coming over!”

            The warmth encompassing her left hand disappeared.  A grunt left her lips and her now empty hand reached for the disappearing source.

            “Oh!  Hey, I’m here Garnet, I’m here,” the rougher voice quickly apologized as the warm hands returned to hers.

            Garnet breathed in again, slowly and laboriously.  Darkness seeped back into her limited vision, pushing the image of Sapphire away.  She tried to grip onto the two sets of hands with as much strength as she had, but her strength was fading away with her vision.  The void was back.  However, she could tell who was speaking between her mothers Ruby and Sapphire.  Garnet resisted, pushing back against the void, using her pain and what she could feel to bring her back to reality.  Steadily the image of her mother Sapphire broke through the darkness once again. 

            “Take your time,” Sapphire softly spoke.

            One brown eye stayed open, even after blinking.  Slowly she attempted to give Sapphire a weak smile.  Sapphire kissed her face again, softly rubbing her hand.  Everything was coming back, she was more aware of her body and the position of all her limbs.  For the most part she was lying flat on her back, limbs in neutral positions, but with her head turned towards her Mum.  She wanted to see her fiery Mum.  Garnet turned her head partially and then frowned, she still couldn’t see Ruby.  With considerable effort, she got it to rotate one hundred and eighty degrees. It wasn’t until then that she finally was able to see her other mother.  Tears were running down the curly haired woman’s cheeks as she held Garnet’s hand tightly, kissing her knuckles.  The daughter gave her mother a small smile.

            “We’re so glad you’re ok,” came the sob.

_Ok?_

            Garnet turned her head and faced forward, the second time was definitely easier.  She was in a hospital bed.  The beeping was coming from a monitor of sorts behind her.  Cold air was pushed up her nose from a tube running underneath it.  Oxygen.  A nurse walked quickly into the curtained area.

            “She’s awake!” the nurse smiled as she strode over to where all of the machinery attached to Garnet must be.  “All of her vitals are showing great progress, her heart rate and brain activity have risen nicely.  Hello Officer Bailey, it’s nice to see you up,” the nurse addressed her.

            Garnet’s brows furrowed.  Just how long was she out?

            “I’m going to go grab the doctor really quick.  We will be right with you.  Please use the call button if anything happens.”

            With that the nurse speed-walked out the opening in the curtains.  The woman in the hospital bed looked down at herself.  She was in a gown, blankets pulled up to her chest, an IV in her arm, and a clip around her pointer finger.  Everything seemed off though, why was it so hard to see everything on her left side?  Garnet released her mother’s hands for a moment to try and push herself into a sitting position.

            “Be careful Garnet, you’re injured and you’ve just woken up,” Sapphire warned.

            Arms strained to raise her heavy body, aches pulsed out from the middle of her chest, all the way down her front, and lower back.  She tried to move her legs, but they were just a bit too heavy for her weakened state.  A grunt slipped past her lips, she was only barely able to sit up for a second before she fell back against the bed.  Garnet stared up at the ceiling in frustration at being unable to do such a simple task.  The whirring of motors accompanied the bed shifting its position to sit her up mechanically.  Garnet rotated her head fully to see Ruby pressing the button.

            “Thanks,” she barely muttered.

            Ruby’s eyes shined with tears and love.

            “Of course,” she choked out.

            Garnet looked at Sapphire.  “How did I get here?”

            “What do you remember?”

            “I…I was at work.”

            Sapphire nodded.

            “Why is it so hard to see everything on this side?” the daughter asked as she waved her left arm, only seeing part of her own limb move.

            At that moment, the nurse returned with the doctor in tow.

            “Officer Bailey, good to see you up and moving,” he greeted with a wide smile.  “How are you feeling?”

            “Confused.”

            “That’s common,” he nodded.  “People usually are when they wake up in a hospital when they didn’t plan on being in one.  However, we are going to do the best we can to ensure your stay is comfortable, and that you recover quickly.”

            “Ok, thank you.”  Garnet looked around at everyone watching her.

            “It’s great news to see you up, you gave us all a pretty good scare there for a little while.”

            “I did?”

            Sapphire scowled at the Doctor.  He nervously swallowed.

            “Yes, but after a couple of blood transfusions your vitals stabilized and you were well on your way to recovery.”

            “Yeah…I did lose some blood…”  Garnet definitely remembered seeing herself laying in a puddle of it.

            “Your coworkers did a pretty good job with you until you were able to receive the necessary medical attention.”

            The injured woman absentmindedly nodded.

            “Why is my vision limited?”

            The doctor let out a long exhale, his eyes glancing towards her mothers for a moment.  “Your left eye had some considerable damage to it, after stitching things up, we’ve kept it covered for now so the eye has its best chance to heal properly.”

            “Oh…”

            “There will probably be some gaps in your memory for a little while, but nothing that will affect you long term,” he smiled.  “As for your other random injuries, the bruising should heal in a couple of weeks.  No fractures or damage to any vital organs.  Your vests did a great job in protecting you.”

            “Yeah…”

            “Your leg however, will take some considerable time and rehabilitation before you’ll be able to use it normally.  We will be with you to help you get back onto your feet.  As for now, we hope to be able to move you into the Progressive Care Unit before long, but only once you’ve progressed to that point.  Do you have any questions for me?”

            “Everything will heal?”

            “In time.  Everything should heal, except for your eye, we won’t know for a little while the affects the trauma did to it,” he explained loosely.

            “I see…thank you doctor.  When can I be released?”

            “Not for a couple of days, we need to make sure your body has recovered enough and that you are able to manage your temporary limitations.”

            Garnet nodded slowly.

            “Were there any other questions for me?  From any of you?”

            “Will she have access to physical therapy for both her leg and eye, if needed?” Sapphire asked.

            “That will depend on what your medical coverage and what your work will cover for the work-related injury, as well as whatever you’re willing to pay.  However, I’m sure in your case, everything should be covered, but it never hurts to check.  I will only be with you while you are in the ICU, but before you are moved up I will leave you with a number of recommendations for doctors that can help you out in those areas.”

            “Thank you, that would be very helpful.”

            “Yeah, we don’t really know a whole lot of doctors, haven’t needed to use ‘em much,” Ruby awkwardly piped in.

            “We’ve been fortunate,” Sapphire nodded.  “But this isn’t anything we can’t handle together,” she stated as she gave Garnet’s hand a squeeze.

            “I have to go check on my other patients now, but if you need anything, there is the call button.  Nurse Opal will be checking in on you in the daytime to help you out.  There’s also a hospital menu to order from once you’re feeling ready for some food.”

            “Thank you.”

            With that the doctor rushed off to check on his other patients.  Nurse Opal properly introduced herself and did a check on Garnet’s vitals and conversed with the family briefly.  Garnet sat in her bed just watching everything from the sidelines.  In another couple of minutes, the small family was left alone.  The injured woman stared at the ceiling trying to process everything that happened, her mind was still moving at a frustratingly slow pace.  Fast, heavy footsteps approached from beyond the drawn curtains.  Bismuth burst through the cloth opening holding a slightly crushed bouquet of flowers.  Her large, grey eyes welled up with tears when she saw that Garnet was conscious. 

            “You’re alive!”  Bismuth rushed forward and enveloped her with a crushing hug.

            Garnet grunted in both surprise and sudden pain.

            “Bismuth!”  Both Ruby and Sapphire were on their feet.

            “I thought I had lost you,” the stocky woman cried against her shoulder and held her.

            The injured woman smiled softly and returned the embrace.  Some events of that night were coming back to her.

            “I would have been a goner without you.  Thank you, Bismuth, you saved my life.”

            Bismuth chuckled and took a seat next to Sapphire, wiping away a tear with her thumb.  “Just paying you back, partner.”  The large woman stared down at the crushed bouquet of flowers in her hands.  “When I saw you after removing all those boxes…” she swallowed hard.  “I was so worried, I thought I was too late,” she added softly.  “You were buried under a bunch of merchandise, lying in a puddle of your own…” Bismuth sobbed.  “I’ll find ‘em, find whoever did that to you and bring them to justice!”

            “Thanks.”  Garnet managed a smile.  At the mention of being buried she could feel the phantom of all that weight on her chest. “How…how far did you have to dig?” Garnet asked with a shaky breath.

            “You were under approximately ten feet of merchandise,” Bismuth solemnly stated.  “The Dumpster Jumpers shot you so you couldn’t run, right?”

            Garnet looked down, brow furrowing.  “I don’t recall just yet…”

            Dreadlocks moved back and forth as the stocky woman shook her head.

            “What caused the collapse?”

            “Someone set off an explosion nearby one of the shelves.  The whole main storage unit collapsed in on itself.  Most were able to get out with a bit of help, including myself.  After not seeing you outside I went back in to try and find you.  I’m sure you remember signaling to me if I was any closer, right?”

            “Yeah, it’s all coming back to me now.”

            The injured woman noticed the bruising and bandages on Bismuth's arms and face.  She had been buried as well, but had been in much better shape to get herself out.

            “What happened to the gangs?”

            “Metal Bin escaped…the lucky bastard, but we wrangled most of his lackeys so it will take some time for him to rebuild his gang.  As for the Rose Thorns we won’t have to really worry about them anymore, it won’t take long for us to scatter or jail the remaining members.  Rose, their leader, was found dead in one of the stairwells.  Some think the initial shots we heard were fired between the two gangs.  They were rivals, so it’s highly likely.  However, they are investigating her death to make sure we know for certain.”

            “I see.”

            “Don’t worry, there will still be plenty of work for you to do once you get all patched up and back on your feet,” Bismuth smirked as she patted Garnet’s ankle.

            Garnet winced at the touch.

            “Oh, sorry,” Bismuth quickly retracted her hand, shrinking away from Sapphire’s and Ruby’s protective faces.

            “What day is it?” Garnet asked of her visitors.

            “Sunday evening, you’ve been out a couple of days,” Sapphire informed.

            The hospitalized woman breathed out heavily.  “Wow, I feel like it’s been hours maybe.”

            “Time travels fast when you’re unconscious,” Ruby shrugged.  “Just like when you sleep, feels like you just went to bed and your alarm is already ringing at you.”

            Garnet chuckled.  “Too true.”

            “Garnet,” Sapphire directed towards her.  “Did you want us to inform anyone else of your hospitalization?”

            “Like who?”

            “Well, your girlfriend perhaps?”

            “I would have already let her know, but I don’t know the password to your phone,” Ruby interjected.

            “My girlfriend.”

            “Pearl,” Sapphire supplied.

_Pearl._

            The missing memory slid into place.  Seeing the thin woman, blocking the bullets, the shock, the accusations; it all came crashing down with the sound of the gun popping.  Garnet’s eye widened as she took a quick inhale.  Bismuth’s question about getting shot so she couldn’t run made more sense now.  Garnet grabbed the edge of her hospital blanket and threw it off her, pulling her gown up to see the bandages covering a portion of her right thigh.  One brown eye stared at the wound for several seconds.

            “Garnet?  Are you ok?” Ruby asked, her tone laced with concern.

_That really happened…Pearl…_

_“I hate you.”_

            A heartbroken sob fell past thick lips.  Hands grasped at the sheets of her hospital bed as her loud sobs continued to painfully rock her body; tears running down her bruised face and dropping onto the sheets.

            “Garnet!  What’s wrong?  What did we say?” Ruby called out to her.

            The question went unheeded as Garnet was hunched over crying uncontrollably.  For all the pain she was in because of her injuries; it was nothing compared to the feeling of her broken heart.  No, there was no point in contacting Pearl.  Pearl hated her.  Pearl shot her.  Pearl left her to die.

            “It must be her leg, she’s probably upset about that,” Bismuth tried.  “It will be ok, Bailey, we’ll help you get it working again.”

            Sapphire frowned as she watched her daughter cry.  “No.  It’s not that.” She placed a hand on Garnet’s shoulder and rubbed comforting circles into it.  “Bismuth, thank you for dropping by, but I think Garnet needs some space right now.”

            “Right, it’s a lot to take in.  Please let me know if there’s anything I can do,” Bismuth quickly stood up.  “I brought these for Bailey, where should I put them?”

            “You can give them to Ruby,” Sapphire gently spoke.  “Ruby, would you mind getting a vase for the flowers?  Or just a cup?”

            “Not at all!  I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

            “Thank you Love.”

            The two women left Sapphire to look over Garnet.  Sapphire carefully pulled the gown back down and gently placed the covers back over Garnet’s leg.  She pressed a kiss against Garnet’s temple.

            “We love you Garnet, and we are so grateful that you are alive.”

            Garnet didn’t respond, she just continued to cry, burying her face in her hands.

            By the time Ruby finally made it back with a tall cup to place the flowers in, Garnet was sitting back against her bed softly sniffling.  Her cries had stopped, but there was still a steady stream of tears running from her one uncovered eye.  Ruby placed a quick kiss on Sapphire’s lips before taking a seat on the other side of Garnet.

            The injured woman didn’t speak until her mothers had to leave due to visiting hours being over.  She wished them good-bye and thanked them for being there for her.  A bloodshot brown eye stared blankly up at the dark ceiling.  Her stomach rumbled, but she didn’t have any desire to eat.  In the darkness her eye watched as a brown moth fluttered down and landed in the palm of her right hand.

_She hates you._

            Not a moment later, the black moth landed on the top of her left hand.

_She never trusted you._

            Garnet breathed out heavily as a fresh wave of tears began to run down her cheek; feeling it would have been better if she had died underneath the pile of boxes.

 

            Getting released from the hospital took a maddening amount of time.  For the first two days of being conscious Garnet was ok with being there, but after that, she wanted out.  However, it wasn’t until the bandages had been removed from her left eye that they even considered letting her go.  That had taken an extra week.  Garnet nearly lost her sanity in the process, she was not one to just lie around doing nothing day after day.  Ruby, Sapphire, and Bismuth’s company made the time pass easier.  Gifts from other friends, co-workers, and acquaintances were gathered around her bed wishing her well.  Even though the dark woman had refused any other visitors besides the three, it was still nice to know that other people cared.

            Garnet stared at her reflection in the mirror in her hospital room.  She carefully touched the numb side of her face, making sure to avoid the stitches that wouldn’t be taken out for another week or so.  The doctor was pleased that she maintained half of her vision, originally they thought she would lose her sight completely.  Garnet dropped her hand down and grasped her crutches firmly.  Half of her left eye had gone blind, turning a milky white in the process.  She stared at her unfamiliar face.  She looked broken.  She felt broken.  Garnet turned away and swung her injured leg with her good one as she moved around the small room with her crutches.  A wheelchair had been completely out of the question.  Today was the day she was going to be released.  Finally.  She approached the bed and grabbed the sunglasses sitting on them.  Simple aviators that didn’t shield her eye from the side very well, but they would have to do for now.  A fun side effect of the damage to her eye was increased sensitivity to all types of light.  Wearing eye protection was going to be yet another thing she would have to adjust to.  Clad in a loose pair of sweatpants, a flannel shirt, some slip-on shoes, and the pair of sunglasses, Garnet was ready to get out of the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now you know. (Don't hate me) A heavy chapter, but this is not even at the halfway point of the story, so there is a lot more to happen.
> 
> We will return to the present next chapter. Thank you all for reading and staying with me.


	14. Anger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are back in the present! Picking up right after Garnet informed Pearl what happened to her in the warehouse after Pearl left her to die.

^^^^^^

Garnet tries to manage the rage that is stirred up from telling Pearl about the night in the warehouse.

^^^^^^

 

            Garnet watched as Pearl turned away from her, hunching over slightly and holding Garnet’s sunglasses close to her chest.  Uncovered eyes narrowed as they watched the pale woman’s face, analyzing her reaction to being told the events that had transpired in the warehouse after she had shot Garnet.

            “I didn’t mean for all of that to happen to you,” Pearl mumbled, breaking the thick silence.

            Rage burned inside of Garnet, begging to be finally released after all of these years.

            “Seriously?!”  The curly haired woman tried in vain to keep her tone even.  “What did you think would happen to me?!”

            Pearl flinched.

            “You _shot_ me in the leg, leaving me practically defenseless in a place full of armed gang members that would jump at the chance to kill a cop!  You didn’t _mean_ for any of that to happen?  Just what did you intend to happen to me?”

            The thin woman opened and closed her mouth.  Garnet’s patience and temper were going to snap.

            “Did you think I would just be able to hobble out of there and hail a taxi to the nearest hospital?!”  She exhaled harshly and silently counted to ten.  “Not only was I reeling from the intense pain of where I was shot by the woman I _loved,_ but your bullet also grazed my femoral artery.  Had the wound not been as cauterized as much as it was or if I had received proper medical attention any later than I did, I would have bled to death.”  She let her words hang in the air for a moment as she took several angered breaths.

            “It was incredibly suspicious that you were there right when we got busted by the police, what other conclusion was I supposed to make?” Pearl tried to defend herself.

            Large hands curled into tight fists.

            “What other conclusion were you supposed to make?!  How about giving me a chance to explain so you could come to the right conclusion!” Garnet threw her hands out wide.

            “I didn’t have time for that!” Pearl shouted back.  “You could have carted me off and taken me in at any moment!”

            “Did I?” her low voice growled, white teeth flashing for a second in a snarl.

            “I wasn’t going to risk you taking me in when you had the chance.”

            “So you shot me,” Garnet stated.

            Pearl looked away.

            “I loved you Pearl.  I would have given you the chance to explain yourself,” the tall woman spoke after a couple of seconds to rein in her exploding emotions.

            “Yeah right,” the thin woman scoffed.  “You’re just saying that.”

            “You think I’m lying to you right now?”

            “Yes.”

            “Where in the two plus years that we spent together did I give you the impression that I would lie to you about things like this?!”

            “You lied about your work!” Pearl fired back.

            “I never told you what I did for work because you never wanted to tell me what you did.”

            “And you wonder why?!  But you already knew my connection to the Rose Thorns so that whole equal information exchange was full of bullshit.  You used me for two years and then you killed Rose and destroyed my family.”

            “I NEVER DID THAT!” Garnet roared.  She breathed out heavily; trying to settle her shaking hands.  “I was just as surprised as you were when I found out about your occupation that night.”

            “Bullshit, how could you have not known?”

            “How could you have not known I was a cop?”

            The pale woman was caught off guard for a moment.  “I was too busy fucking you to care.  Too busy thinking that maybe you actually did love me and that it all wasn’t just a horrible trick.  I was too careless and I ended up putting my family in danger.  I should have let S trail you, have her find out everything about you and then I could have ended it before anything began.”

            “I _did_ love you Pearl,” Garnet tried in a calmer tone.

            “How can you say that?  After everything you did to me?!”

            “The only thing I ever did was try to love and care for you the best way I knew how, but obviously, it wasn’t enough.  For the two plus years we knew each other, over a year of it being girlfriends, you couldn’t give me five minutes to explain myself.  Hell I even took a few bullets for you!  But instead you threw a bunch of accusations on me before shooting me and leaving me to die!”

            “I did what needed to be done.  I wasn’t going to let someone off easy for hurting my family like that.”

            The dark woman bit her tongue and shook her head.  It was useless to try and convince Pearl otherwise, she would never believe any of Garnet’s words.  The rage burning inside demanded she grab the thin woman and shake some sense into her.

            “When was the last time you were in contact with S?” Garnet slightly changed topics.

            “That’s none of your damn business,” Pearl snapped.

            “Fine,” came her curt response.  “Give me back my sunglasses.”

            The reflective object was thrown at her, Garnet caught them easily and put them back on, sighing in relief at the protection being restored for her left eye.

            “At least I finally got to find out how you felt about me that night,” Garnet stated offhandedly before shaking her head.

            More words wanted to come out, she wanted to cut into Pearl, insult her for being so irresponsible with her current job, make fun of the pale woman for being such a pathetic adult, but that wouldn’t make her any better than Pearl.  Garnet turned on her heel and strode away.  She needed to punch something.

 

            Jasper’s ears perked up as the phone rang through the quiet station.  One amber eye opened to watch Officer Lazuli pick up the phone.

            “Beach City Police Station, what is your emergency?”

            A grimace ran across the buff woman’s face, Lapis really needed to work on answering those calls with a little more than a deadpan tone.

            “Disturbing the peace?  Loud screaming?  For how long?  I see, have you tried speaking with your neighbor about their noise levels?  No.  Why?  Afraid to approach them, I understand.  We can be there in minutes and speak with them.  What’s the address?”  Officer Lazuli nodded as she wrote on a piece of paper.  “Thank you for calling in, we will take care of it from here.”

            Jasper stayed reclined in her chair until Lapis had made her way to the captain.

            “What?” came her gruff voice.

            “A disturbing the peace call,” the tan woman stated as she showed Jasper the address.

            Jasper sat up straight in her chair, eyes widening at the address.  “I’m coming with you.”

            “Good, because I wasn’t going to answer this one alone.”

            “Sugilite, you got the phones while we are gone,” Jasper ordered as she grabbed her hat and began to walk out of the station with Officer Lazuli.

            “You got it baby!” came the confident voice from the right side of the area of desks.

            “Thanks.”

            The duo drove to the listed address and parked outside of the house.  As Jasper opened her door and stepped out she could hear what the neighbors were complaining about.  Hair-raising exclamations of pure anger were erupting from the backyard of the house.  Jasper took the lead and walked up to the side gate in the tall wooden fencing that led to the backyard.  She carefully unlatched it and walked through the fence.  A lone figure stood on the small back concrete patio furiously beating the huge punching bag hanging from its sturdy stand.  16oz training gloves lay tossed to the side as the person was just beating the bag with their bare fists.  Jasper winced as she noted that the knuckles had been rubbed raw and were bleeding, imprinting the black bag with the red substance with each strike.

            “Garnet!” Jasper called out.

            The curly haired woman didn’t respond, she simply exclaimed once again as she flew into another fast combo.  Jab, cross, left hook, right hook; finishing with a knee.  Her casual attire was drenched with sweat, evidentially she hadn’t planned to work out.  Jasper’s mouth pulled down into a grimace as she remembered that Garnet was supposed to avoid strenuous physical activity.

            “OFFICER BAILEY!” the captain shouted.

            No response.

            Jasper growled and began to walk up to shake the woman out of her trance.

            “Step to the side,” came Officer Lazuli’s mellow voice.

            The buff woman looked behind her to see the smaller officer holding Garnet’s hose.  A high-pitched groan came from the pipe sticking out of the side of the house informed the captain that water was indeed flowing into the hose.  She quickly jumped off to the side just as Lapis pulled the trigger on the nozzle attached to the hose.  A powerful stream of ice cold water shot out and blasted Garnet in the side.  The sounds of the dark woman’s surprise were cut off and garbled as the stream of water hit her face.  Lapis calmly moved the nozzle around to steadily drench the angry woman.  Garnet’s hands flew up to shield her face as she tried to regain her bearings.  The stream of water stopped for a moment.  Reflective sunglasses turned towards them, finally noticing that she had company.  Officer Lazuli pulled the trigger again, hitting Garnet right in the face.

            “What the-” hands were back up, trying to stop the icy onslaught.

            Jasper sighed and waited, resting one hand on her hip.

            “You can stop now,” she eventually spoke to Lapis.

            Officer Lazuli turned to look up at her, releasing the trigger, though not without sending one last burst in Garnet’s direction.

            “What the fuck?!” Garnet growled.

            “Are you cooled off now?  Looks like you needed to let off some steam,” Jasper called out.

            “I’m in my own backyard, what’s the problem with that?”

            “You were disturbing the peace, we got a call from one of your neighbors.  Do you have any idea how loud you were being?”

            The wet woman’s tense posture fell slightly.

            “It was better than the alternative,” it was a low mutter; Jasper barely heard it.

            Garnet turned away and searched for something to wipe the water off of her sunglasses.  One cracked eye was revealed for a couple of seconds.

            “You can leave now, I’ll be quiet,” Garnet waved them off as she went to enter her house.

            “Not so fast.  What’s going on?  Why were you beating the shit out of your bag and why were you not wearing your gloves?” Jasper demanded.

            Garnet glanced down at her bloodied knuckles as she opened and closed her fist a couple of times.  She then opened the door without providing any answers.

            “Hey!  What is going on with you?  First you freak out in my car, then this?” the captain motioned to the punching bag.

            “This was a personal matter, it has nothing to do with what happened last week,” came the dark woman’s curt response.

            “Are you sure?” Jasper folded her arms across her chest.

            “Positive.”

            “Ok, but I better not get another call for you disturbing the peace.  Got it?”

            Garnet nodded and shut the sliding glass door, slowly disappearing into her house.  Jasper rubbed her eyes with her pointer finger and thumb.  She then glanced to her side to see Lapis still holding the hose.

            “You can put that away now.”

            The hose was turned towards her.  Jasper internally panicked, a bead of sweat trickling down the back of her neck.

            “Lazuli….”

            Officer Lazuli saluted her.  “Righto Captaino,” she said before sending a cold shot right into Jaspers stomach.

            “LAZULI!!”

            The smaller officer just smirked and re-coiled the hose, with a couple of flicks of her wrist the water flow to the green tube was cut off.  The sandy haired captain grumbled as she attempted to wipe off as much of the water as possible.  Amber eyes glanced back towards the punching bag as she closed the gate behind them.

            There was a lot missing from Officer Bailey’s personal report.  While it was believable that the dark officer’s PTSD had not been accurately recorded, it was a stretch that her half blind left eye would have been left out.  There also had been no recordings of how the injury had been acquired.  Jasper’s thick lips were pulled into a frown again.  She needed to know more about Officer Bailey.  Thankfully, she now knew of another officer that might be able to fill some of the gaps in the report.

 

            Garnet flung her wet shirt onto the hardwood floor as she stomped towards the bathroom.  Teeth gritted as she struggled to remove the wet formfitting jeans.  Those sailed through the air landing somewhere near the shirt.  Covered eyes paused to look at the black ink imprinted into her almost equally dark skin.  A wide pattern of stars wrapped around her right thigh, it began at the top half of her calf and ended at her hip bone, a pathetic attempt to obscure the round, sunken scar in the middle of her leg.  Garnet ripped the sunglasses off her face at threw them at the bathroom mirror.

            _DAMN PEARL!!_

            _Count to ten, breathe, it was over four years ago, you shouldn’t be this angry._

_BUT I AM!  IT HURTS!_

_One…two…three…four…five…six_

_NO!_

_This isn’t going to help.  You can’t take your anger out on Pearl._

_WHY NOT?  SHE DESERVES TO FEEL A FRACTION OF ALL THE PAIN SHE CAUSED ME!_

Garnet clutched her thick curls, eyes closing as the internal war raged.

            _Let’s try this again.  One…two…three…four…_

_I WANT TO BREAK SOMETHING!  LET ME RUN!_

_You can’t, you’re injured, and you need to avoid strenuous physical activity._

_WHAT ELSE IS NEW?!  I JUST PUNCHED THE BAG FOR WHO KNOWS HOW LONG.  I FEEL JUST FINE._

_You need to rest.  One…two…three…four…five…_

_ARRRRGGHHH!!!_

Strong hands gripped the edge of the porcelain sink.   The angry woman held a staring contest with her reflection.

            _One…two…three…four…five…six…seven…eight…nine…ten…_

Garnet let out a heavy breath.  Her blood was still boiling, but at least her mind was starting to settle down, a little.  Pearl was lucky, if she had stayed any longer around the infuriating woman, she would have hurt her.  Probably just a punch or two, but Garnet knew she would end up regretting it later.  Eyes roamed her physical condition.  She was wet from getting hosed by Lapis, and her knuckles were raw and bloody; along with a couple of spots on her knees and elbows.  A hand moved up to rub her temple.  She could feel the oncoming headache from the exertion.  Garnet removed her underwear and dried herself off.  After gathering, ringing out, and hanging the wet clothes to dry, the athletic woman headed for the master bedroom.  She quickly threw on sweatpants and a sweatshirt.  Tonight she would sleep on the couch, sleeping on her bed would only bring up unwanted memories right now.  Mismatched eyes stared up at the ceiling.

            _Today had started out so well…_

Her eyes closed.  Garnet’s only consolation was that she had a good talk with Amethyst, and Pearl finally knew what she had done to Garnet.  If Pearl believed what she said.  Garnet grunted and rolled onto her left side.  She was not going to think about that right now; she needed to rest.

 

            Monday was a relief from her rather disappointing weekend, even though Garnet detested doing desk work.  It at least was something else besides moping around in her apartment or attacking her punching bag yet again.  Constant pain pulsed from her bandaged knuckles.  Next time she would be sure to leave her training gloves on.  The chair creaked slightly as she sat down and began looking over the tasks that had been left for her to do.  Review traffic film, find any leads for various missing items, answer the phone, greet and help anyone who came into the station.  A long sigh was pushed out from thick lips.  It was going to be one exciting day.

            The day went largely as expected.  A few leads for missing items were found, a couple of new missing item reports came in, the phone rang a handful of times, and Garnet spent most of her day working on the computer.  Fast hands quickly typed up her report for the day, she was eager to get out of the building and go for a walk, or punch her bag again.

            _You should probably avoid the bag until your hands heal._

_Not a chance!_

_At least wear the gloves and wrap up your hands._

_Fine…_

The creak of another chair next to her brought Garnet out of her thoughts.  Covered eyes glanced over to see Officer Lazuli sitting right next to her staring at her.

            “Evening Officer Lazuli,” Garnet said with hesitation.

            “Captaino asked me to ask you how you are doing,” she blandly stated.

            “Dry, thanks.”

            A smirk and a snort came from the smaller officer.  “That’s good, especially since you’re working with a computer.  Have you effectively shown your punching bag who is boss?”

            Garnet’s hand clenched into a fist, a fresh wave of pain running through her hand.  “Working on it.”

            Lapis nodded.  “Jasper just wanted me to make sure that it wasn’t anything work related, if so we would want to be informed about it and help if we could.”

            The dark cop glanced over to where Jasper was attempting to look like she wasn’t observing their conversation.

            “If it was, would I tell you?”

            “That’s fair,” Lapis shrugged.  “But that would also make it harder to get resolved.”

            “It was just a personal matter,” Garnet turned back to her report.  “But thank you for your concern.”

            “Jasper made me do it, she didn’t want to ruin her tough woman reputation.”

            A sideways grin slipped onto Officer Bailey’s face.  “I see.  Well then Officer Lazuli, you may return and report to Captaino, that’s all you’re going to get from me.”

            The lithe officer stood up and walked back to Jasper’s desk.  Garnet watched as the two conversed.  Yet another sigh was forced out by her lungs.  In a couple more minutes she was done with her report and out of the door.

            Bare feet kicked the sand as they strode through the cooling beach.  It was a good idea to walk around on the beach for once.  Garnet looked out at the waves gently rolling in.  She should go for a swim.  After all, she was a great swimmer.

            _No strenuous activities._

Garnet growled at the voice inside her head, crossing her arms in frustration.  Cheery sounds drew her attention to the side.  Steven and his good friend Connie were building a sandcastle.  The young boy was stuffing the buckets full of sand while Connie strategically placed the molded sand to form a sturdy castle.  Steven and Connie were both good kids.  Whenever Steven ran into her while she was on duty, he liked to ask her about her day and would often share something that he enjoyed doing.  Somehow he had managed to drag her to the local arcade to play a few of his favorite games one time.  While not entirely professional, it was a fun ten minutes.  Steven even paid for her turns.  Connie on the other hand liked to inquire on what she was doing, was she watching out for troublemakers, or was she following a lead?  The young girl was always curious about Garnet’s profession and asked her all sorts of random questions about it.  One time Garnet inquired if Connie was interested in being a police officer.  The bright girl replied that she mostly wanted to know how Garnet’s job differed from her dad’s security job.  She did add that being a police officer was on her list of possible future occupations, along with becoming president or a secret agent.

            “Garnet!” A loud voice called out.

            The curly haired woman saw Steven waving his hand vigorously at her.  She walked over.

            “Howdy,” Garnet smiled.

            “Look at our awesome sand castle!” Steven proudly beamed.

            “It took only 34 buckets of sand to assemble,” Connie added.

            Covered eyes looked at the creation.  A thick wall protected the main castle, with a moat outside it, of course.  The castle had a small tower in each corner while a tall formation of molded sand made up the main building and tower in the middle.  Several seashells had been carefully pressed into the sides to resemble windows or decorations.

            “Impressive.  How long have you two been working on this?”

            “About an hour or so, our first one didn’t go so well,” Steven supplied as he pointed at a lump in the sand that was slowly being washed away by each wave that rolled over it.

            Garnet hummed in response.

            “But! After strategically moving the construction site Steven and I were successful.” Connie informed.  “This way when the tide comes in completely we will get to see how long it lasts against the waves.”

            “I see.  It’s a great castle, it will be sad to see it go.”

            “Yeah, but that way Connie and I can build another one together the next time we come to the beach,” Steven simply shrugged.

            “And I will be keeping track of how many waves it takes and where our weak points were so the next castle will be even stronger!” the girl with long black hair added.

            “That’s quite some dedication, I hope this one lasts long,” Garnet smiled.

            “Thanks ma’am!” Connie grinned.

            “Thanks!” Steven agreed.

            With a nod Garnet continued her walk across the beach.  It was going to take some time to work out all the emotions from her confrontation with Pearl, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle.  Long legs strode towards the receding waves.  As the next wave rolled in Garnet let out a quick exhale from the shock of the cold water swirling around her warm feet.  The water was pulled away then pushed back up around her.  This time the temperature change didn’t surprise her as much.

            _Things just take time and work._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of a breather after last week's chapter. I love Lapis in this chapter.
> 
> Again, thank you all for reading. I was blown away by all of the amazing comments I got last week. THANK YOU ALL SOOO MUCH!!!


	15. Information

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Pearl to think and maybe do some digging. We are in the present, but a brief flashback will be signaled with ******

^^^^^^

Pearl seeks out an old friend.  Valuable information is shared.

^^^^^^

 

            Pearl pulled on the white cable a little harder than necessary.  In a few seconds, the bus had pulled to the side and the thin woman had jumped off.  She let out a sigh of relief as she was able to light a cigarette and inhale the soothing chemicals.  Long and narrow feet carried her to a destination she hadn’t been in years.  Light blue eyes roamed over the bus stop with the wooden overhang and random benches.  Pearl shook her head quickly to dispel any of the memories of Garnet that were trying to resurface along with the others; her shitty mood only increasing at the annoyance.  It was _her_ bus stop before it ever was _theirs_.  She leaned back against her post and took some time to enjoy a few cigarettes, grabbing the chance to watch different people than the ones she saw all the time in Beach City.

            After an hour, she bounced off the wooden post and began walking towards her next destination.  She walked up the familiar stairs and approached the door to the place she had once called home.  Bony knuckles rapped against the door as teeth absentmindedly chewed on the butt of her extinguished cigarette.  Seconds later the door was opened and a man in his late thirties opened the door.

            “Hello?” he greeted.

            “Hi, I was looking for someone who used to live here, probably a few years ago.  Looks like they already moved.”

            “Yup, I’ve been here a couple of years, don’t know the previous tenants, or the ones before that,” he crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame.

            “I see,” Pearl nodded turning away.  “Thanks, I’ll leave you be.”

            “Who you looking for?” he inquired.

            “An old friend.”

            Pearl headed down to the management office and inquired if they had any records of forwarding addresses for a Sheena Thorn.  When rebuffed with questions on why they should give her any information, Pearl rolled her eyes and showed them that she was Pearl Meyers, the one who signed the contact for the apartment.  Even with this proof they refused to give any personal information out to anyone besides family.  Frustrated, Pearl slouched out of the office and hopped on a bus towards downtown Jersey.  In the public library she sat down in front of one of the computers and began searching for any possible information on her former roommate.  Surprisingly enough it didn’t take long to find her, thanks to all of the data that was constantly gathered and shared via the internet.  Pearl wanted to smack her head against the keyboard when her eyes saw which city S was living in.

            _Ocean Town…_

With a growl she typed the address into her phone and waited for the next bus.  The ride to Ocean Town took a couple of hours.  Light blue eyes rolled at the sight of the sign as a snarl formed on her chapped lips.

            “Ocean Town: No Longer on Fire!”

            From the bus to the new apartment complex, Pearl wasted no time in making a straight beeline for S’s address.  The less time she spent in Ocean Town the better.  She glanced down at her watch.  9:31pm.  S should be home around this time, if not, Pearl could wait until she did come home.  Pale knuckles rapped on the metal door.  It took a few moments, but eventually the sounds of the lock sliding back preceded the door opening.  Pearl looked up to come face to face with her former roommate.  S’s hair was about the same length, though the pink dye was mostly grown out revealing her dark brown hair.  The asymmetrical cut of her hair was gone too, making her seem more normal.  Green eyes looked down at her with either surprise or a scowl.  Pearl wasn’t so sure if S was glad to see her.

            “Look who it is, after all these years you show your face again,” S greeted Pearl.

            The thin woman huffed, but couldn’t really form a response.

            “Come on in,” S motioned with her head.

            Pearl slinked in, then looked around her place.

            “It’s a nice place.”

            “Yeah, brand new, I’m the first tenant.  Turns out a lot of people still don’t want to live here so rent is also pretty cheap.  Which works for me because it’s more expensive to live on your own when you only make as much as I do.”

            “Oh yeah?  But you made good money, as did I.”

            “Back when we both were in a gang and selling tons of meth,” S rolled her eyes as she sat down on one of the barstools.

            Pearl joined her, taking a seat.

            “Are you not the leader of the Rose Thorns now?”

            “You’ve really been living under a rock, haven’t you?”

            “What?!  You would have been able to run things.  You did step up to run things when I left.  It’s a legitimate question!”

            “I could have, but after you disappeared and several more of us were quickly thrown in jail, the only good option was to disband and for everyone to fend for themselves.  We had already lost our base and all of our supplies, and I didn’t want to try and work out a deal with Yellow Diamond, especially when you were nowhere to be found.”

            “Sorry.”  Pearl looked away.  “I couldn’t stay, not after losing Rose and everything else.”

            S leaned back in her seat.  “So…”

            “So?”

            “So why have you all the sudden shown your face again?”

            “I don’t know.  Guess I was trying to make sense of something.”

            “I see.  Where have you been all this time?”

            “Looking after Steven…and Greg.”

            Brown eyebrows were raised up in surprise.  “Really?  You’re with them?”

            “Nearby, I’m not much of a help anymore, can barely pay my own rent, guess that serves me right for not being very committed to my job.”

            “Oh yeah?  Where do you work?”

            “At the local mechanics’ shop.”

            S snorted.  Pearl scowled at her.

            “That’s sooo your thing.  Tinkering with cars and telling everyone to fuck off right?”

            “Or getting yelled at by my boss for not staying the full eight hours.”

            The curvy woman chuckled.

            “Well, where do you work?”

            “Management for some clothing retail company in this town.  Turns out the gang gave me some good management skills, though unfortunately I have to peacefully resolve all my conflicts, and swearing and death threats are not allowed.”

            Pearl laughed briefly.  “Wow, working retail?  You must really hate that.”

            “It’s consistent though, not as much stress in some ways, but also can be very demanding.  I get paid enough to cover all of my living expenses and I don’t have to worry about getting hauled in.”

            “A lot has changed these past years,” the pale woman sighed as she rested the side of her head in her hand.

            “So why did you come looking for me?”

            “I…I just thought I should go see how you’re doing.”

            S rolled her eyes.  “Right, which is why you’re wandering around trying to figure something out?”

            “I’m being serious,” Pearl tried.

            S waited expectantly.  After a couple of moments the strawberry blonde gave in.

            “A new officer was transferred into the city I’m living in.”

            The curvy woman straightened up.  “Who?”

            “Officer Garnet Bailey,” she growled out the name.

            “Oh…well now that’s one hell of a coincidence.”

            “I know right?!  Like out of all the obscure cities she had to be moved to the _one_ I was in?!”

            “How has that gone?”

            “Horribly, she kicks me off people’s property, she locked me up for a day, and she still claims innocence on her involvement with Rose’s death.”

            S pursed her lips and sat in silence for a few seconds.

            “She still even pretends that she loved me!”  Pearl ranted.  “I guess after having that ‘discussion’ with her, it drove me to want to talk to one of the other people who were there with me that night.”

            “Do you want to know what happened to Rose?” S said carefully.

            “I know what happened, the police shot her and then blamed the Dumpster Jumpers for it.”

            S stood up and walked back into her room.  Pearl heard a few drawers open and a lock click.  Her former roommate appeared holding a manila envelope.  The folder was set on the bar.  Light blue eyes looked from the Jersey Police seal stamped on the front to the green eyed woman.  Pearl carefully pulled it towards her and opened it.  Silence engulfed the room as the short haired woman read through the contents inside.  After a half an hour the envelope was set down, Pearl breathing out heavily as she ran her thin fingers through her wispy hair.

            “It was them.”

            S nodded.

            “The mole’s name and identity wasn’t listed, but all the information the police got was from the Dumpster Jumpers and any leaked information from our collaboration with them.”

            “Like we suspected, the mole was on their side.  If we hadn’t collaborated, we never would have been affected.”

            “‘Found dead in a stairwell, several bullets through the abdomen.  Cause of death was blood loss and failure of the liver.’  Pictures of her are shown and I’m assuming video files are on this disc?”

            S solemnly nodded.

            “Bullets were matched to the automatic rifle confiscated from one of the Dumpster Jumpers arrested in the raid.”  Pearl slowly shook her head as she continued to take several deep breaths.  “How’d you get this?”

            “How do you think?”

            Pearl’s pale skin became white.  “No…”

            S nodded once again looking down at her hands.  “The night I left to take care of some business, the same night you fled Jersey and disappeared, I had gone to the hospital to take care of Garnet.”

            The thin woman’s mouth fell open slightly in shock.

 

******

 

            Slipping through the hospital’s pathetic security had been all too easy.  Locating the floor and section the injured officer was being kept at was even easier.  Nurses were far too busy with their patients to notice her, especially when she was dressed similarly to them.  A hoodie underneath the scrubs she was wearing concealed her distinct hair.  Eyes moved around, quickly scanning the area and keeping an eye out for hospital personnel that were following her.  Nerves were frayed, green eyes puffy, and her mind was swirling from one surprise after another.

            First off it was the meeting getting out of hand AND getting raided by the police in the same night.  She barely made it out of that mess only to find that Pearl had been the only survivor besides her.  Seven of them had gone in.  Rose, four of their best guards, Pearl, and herself.  It had been a relief to see that most of the other Rose Thorns had made it to the safe house.  They huddled together as they watched the news the following morning, learning the fates of their missing members and beloved leader.  She had been crushed of course.  Her first instinct was to take some time off and recover, but that was not an option, she had to take charge and salvage the situation as best as possible.  Normally she would have had Pearl at her side, but the thin woman was completely overtaken by her emotions.  First, she was crying constantly, then she was angry, prone to snap at any one for anything; then she was a blank face that just sat in her apartment room smoking.  S pushed through and tried to rescue items from the base only to have a number of them caught as the police showed up to raid the place.  Then Yellow Diamond called, inquiring about their situation and offering her condolences.  The Drug Lord recognized potential in a number of them, offering them to come work for her if things didn’t go well.  Yellow Diamond also informed S that she would be searching for a new meth supplier in a couple of months if the Rose Thorns were unable to get back up and running.  On the Monday following the disastrous Friday, S was finally able to have a decent conversation with Pearl about what happened to her after they parted ways at the warehouse and before they met up again at the safe house.  That’s when she learned just why Pearl had been all over in her emotions.  Garnet.  Garnet, Pearl’s girlfriend.  Charming, sincere, cool, Garnet.  Someone S had started to consider a friend and someone she had trusted to date Pearl.  That Garnet was a cop.  Not only that, but as Pearl explained, Garnet had been leaking information about the Rose Thorns the whole time.  Garnet was the mole and their relationship had just been a cover the entire time.  It was too much, everything was coming apart at the seams.  So, S went to do the one thing she knew she could do, and that was to get rid of the one who had betrayed them and used Pearl.  A bullet through the leg wasn’t enough, Garnet deserved Rose’s fate at least.

            Officer Bailey was in the ICU, located in one of the smaller rooms.  S expected there to be someone guarding her, but no one was there.  A foolish decision to leave a mole unprotected in her opinion.  She opened the door quietly and stepped in, shutting it behind her soundlessly.  Large hands reached into the pouch of her hoodie to pull out the gun stored there.  Green eyes turned to face the woman as she released the safety.  The faint metal click ringing throughout the room.  One brown eye stared straight into hers.  S pulled back in surprise, Garnet was supposed to be asleep, but she was propped up into a sitting position with her bed.  The curvy woman gritted her teeth and pointed the gun right at the injured woman, pulling back her hoodie to reveal who she was.

            “Come to finish what Pearl failed to?” the curly haired woman evenly spoke.

            “How could you?!” S harshly whispered.  “I thought you loved her, I even approved of her dating you!”

            Garnet scoffed.  “I wasn’t the mole.”

            “Save your bullshit.”

            “Is it a requirement for all Rose Thorns to immediately jump to conclusions?”

            “What?”

            “Despite the two years we were together, Pearl would rather blame me for everything than give me one minute to explain.  And you’re here to do just the same.”  Garnet rested her head against the inclined bed.  “Go ahead, it can’t hurt me anymore than I already have been.”

            S approached the bed from the side, keeping the gun trained on the dark woman.  Something was off.  She had not expected Garnet to just let her shoot her, she expected a fight, at least some attempt to grab the call button and alert a nurse.  Green eyes noticed the streaks of tear residue on the dark woman’s cheek.  S had never seen or heard of Garnet crying and she was sure it was the same for Pearl.  Eyes continued to roam over the hospitalized woman’s posture.  Even with a leg injury she knew Garnet was strong and could potentially put up a decent fight, but here she was just lying there waiting for S to shoot.  It was too easy, too simple.  The mole should be fighting for her life, doing everything she can to preserve her life; begging her to extend a shred of mercy.

            “Looking for the best angle?  Or do you actually want me to explain myself?” came the sarcastic tone.

            _There just might be a use to keeping her alive.  Moles can send information both ways._

S leaned back and regarded Garnet with contempt, pointing the gun right at the woman’s face, her finger resting on the trigger.  She knew how to do this, interrogate and intimidate to get the desired results.

            “Why should I give you a chance to explain?”

            “I could tell you everything, but you wouldn’t trust what I said anyway.  So, what’s the point?” the curly haired woman shrugged, completely unaffected by S’s attempt to assert her threat.

            “I want to know exactly what happened!  I want to know who killed Rose.  Your stupid Chief of Police provided a shitty explanation on the news the morning after.”

            “And you’re asking the officer that’s been in the hospital since all of that shit happened.  Real smart.”

            S puffed out her chest as she tried to come up with a retort.  Green eyes wandered to look at the bandages covering Garnet’s left eye.  Pearl hadn’t said anything about doing anything to the woman’s eye.

            “My eye is over here,” came a low growl.

            S quickly looked away from the bandage and at the glaring dark brown eye.

            “Fine, I’ll spare you for now and give you a chance to explain yourself.  Bring me hard evidence on who killed Rose, who the mole really was, and your actual involvement with the whole shit storm.”

            “You’ll ‘spare me’?” Garnet harshly laughed.  “Spare me what?  Killing me would have been more merciful.”

            “Well you’re the only cop I know that can get me the information I want.”

            “It will be some time before I do anything, I’m kinda tied up here for who knows how long thanks to your inconsiderate roommate.”

            “That will have to do,” S frowned as she put her gun away, trying to keep any bit of power over the woman.

            “You’re sooo understanding,” one brown eye rolled.

            “I expect you to get me that information as soon as you can, otherwise I’ll come to finish you off for real,” S stated as she began to walk towards the door, pulling up her hoodie.

            “Just so you know, hospitals have great security cameras,” Garnet said as she pointed to the one hanging in the corner.

            S pursed her lips and quickly exited the room.  She definitely wasn’t prepared for this.  Being emotionally, mentally, and physically drained certainly was affecting her ability to make wise decisions.  Normally her infiltrations and interrogations went much better.  Thankfully, it took only a few minutes to get out of the hospital, but her heart was pounding in her chest the entire time.  Garnet was right, security cameras were everywhere.  The scrubs were taken off and folded up.  She would burn them later.

            “I’m back!” S called into her apartment, a finger turning on the lights.  “Pearl?”

            The pink haired woman walked to her roommate’s bedroom.  She pushed the door open to see that all of Pearl’s few belongings were gone.  Like lightning her phone was out and calling the thin woman’s number.  S frantically searched the rest of the apartment for any of Pearl’s other belongings.

            “We’re sorry the number you have reached is not in service.  Please check the number and try again.”

            Pearl was gone.  S internally screamed.  She had only been gone for four hours tops.  How had everything been removed?  S’s mind quickly figured that Pearl could have packed up her room without S seeing, but still, that had to have taken a lot of careful planning on Pearl’s behalf to disappear so quickly.  How was Pearl even functioning well enough to pull this off?  A sigh was pushed out.  She won’t be able to do much more tonight, she was too tired, but tomorrow she would try and find where the difficult woman went.  As she flopped onto her bed her mind noted that her apartment was no longer safe, Garnet knew where she lived, and Garnet was conscious.  She could very easily be the next one taken in if she didn’t take the appropriate action.

 

            Six months went by.  Six months of being unable to find Pearl.  Where the hell was the woman hiding?  Six months of having each attempt to reunite the Rose Thorns go up in flames.  Now S was the only one left in Jersey from the upper ranks of the Rose Thorns.  Some had stayed past Rose’s death dedicated to rebuilding their gang, but after several more were arrested, the others wasted little time in staying in the area.  S had kept a low profile.  She didn’t need to work at the time, she had plenty in the bank, she changed phones, and moved to a different apartment on the other side of Jersey.  Ironically now that everything was over, she finally had time to process her grief and recover from the collapse of the Rose Thorns.  S kept an eye on the news and an eye out for a familiar face in an officer’s uniform.

            A firm knock on the door turned her attention away from the movie she was barely watching.  She checked the peep hole and pulled back in surprise.  There should have been no way to track her here.  Cautiously she opened up the door.  Garnet looked different, but still easily recognizable.  Her hair was in its usual square afro, her style of clothing was similar, but her face was half covered by wide, frameless, reflective sunglasses.  The lower half of her face that was uncovered was an expressionless mask.  Without waiting to be welcomed in, Garnet stepped into the apartment with the assistance of a cane.  S silently shut the door behind her.  Garnet had never seemed intimidating until now.  Even though it was her apartment, Garnet was clearly the one in power here.  That irritated S.  A manila envelope was wordlessly extended towards her.  S took it and began to look over it.  The curly haired woman took a seat on one of the barstools.  Several minutes passed.

            “How do I know this isn’t fake?” S demanded after reading everything, quickly blinking back a couple of tears that formed from reading the material.

            “I checked the evidence myself, worked for hours to validate the film, pictures, and witnesses.  We were explicitly told not to kill either Rose or Metal Bin that night.  While many of us harbor resentment towards gang leaders, we don’t go out of our way to kill someone who could easily lead us to others.  As for the corrupt cops, they would have let them escape, like what happened with Metal Bin.”

            S slowly nodded.  The information steadily sinking in.

            “It makes sense though, I was there.  I heard the automatic rifle going off.  Rose shielded us.  There was no way the bullets didn’t go through the table she was holding,” she unwillingly admitted.

            Garnet briefly hummed in acknowledgement.  “I have two conditions for you keeping this information.  One:” she held up a finger.  “The next time you see Pearl, you show her this.  Let her know what happened and clear my name.  Two:” another finger came up.  “You give her this.  Only she is to open and read its contents,” the curly haired woman said as she pulled out a sealed, light orange, clasp and eye envelope.

            S frowned.  “I don’t owe you any favors for this.  I told you to get it for me.  This is you clearing your name.”

            “Oh really?  I thought you’d be more appreciative of being given a second chance in the career department.”

            The curvy woman regarded Garnet with extreme caution.  Her mind wondered just how was the dark woman able to find her?

            “What do you mean?”

            “It wouldn’t take much to acquire the film from the hospital or connect you to the upper rings of the Rose Thorns.  After all, I know now that Pearl was the cook and that you definitely were involved in her line of work.”  Garnet leaned back slightly.  “All those times of you casually informing her that her orders were in now make sense.”

            “You’d have a hell of a time proving that.  All you can get me for is threatening you,” S stated in a low tone.

            “And what was your motivation for wanting to kill me?  Revenge?  For an event that recently happened?  Might I add that a description for a member of the Rose Thorns that is very similar to yours exists in the police files?  I could have both Pearl and you locked up for good, but instead this is my parting gift, because I _did_ love her.”

            Garnet’s words hung in the air for a number of tense moments.  S decided that she didn’t want to ask how the officer was able to locate her.

            _She knows her stuff and knows exactly what she is doing._

            “What’s with the sunglasses?  You’re inside,” S tried to deflect.

            “That’s none of your business,” the dark woman sharply cut off.

            S raised up her hands in defense.

            “My end of the deal has been met.” Garnet stated as she stood up and slowly walked towards the door.  “Make good use of your opportunity,” she finished as she began to walk out the door.

            “Wait!” S rushed after her.  “I haven’t seen Pearl since that night I talked with you.  By now it’s highly unlikely that I’ll see her again.”

            “If anything you’ll see her before I do and she will believe you more than she will me.”

            With that Garnet shut the door behind her.  S didn’t see Garnet again.  In a month she had accepted an entry level job in Ocean Town and had moved there.  Life wasn’t the same, but she was slowly adjusting to being a more normal citizen and not a criminal constantly watching her back.

 

******

 

            Pearl put her face in her hands and sighed heavily.

            “This is the envelope she told me to give you.  I haven’t opened it, not even after all these years,” S said as she pushed the orange envelope to her.

            Cold fingers picked it up.

            “PEARL”

            The letters were written in Garnet’s blocky handwriting.  She read her name how Garnet would say it to her when Garnet would hold her from behind and gently speak into her ear.  Fingers paused at the sealed lip, unsure if she should open it.  Most likely it contained Garnet’s final words to her after their violent breakup.  The last thing Pearl wanted to deal with right now was more of Garnet’s anger.  Pearl tucked the envelope into her leather jacket, the size awkwardly making the left side of the jacket stiff and flat.

            “I can’t change what I did that night, so there is no point in dwelling on it,” Pearl breathed out.  “I know the truth now and will try to be more civil towards her at least, but by now it won’t matter or change anything.”

            _I treated Garnet like shit.  I deserve to be hated by her._

“Yeah…she really was just one of the cops pulled in to help with the raid.”

            Pearl nodded.

            “How are things for you though?  You mentioned that you were struggling to make rent?”

            The thin woman scoffed.  “Yeah, I need to stay at work longer so I can get a full paycheck.”

            “But you had so much saved up, almost two million, there’s no way you’ve spent it all in just five years.”

            “I didn’t spend it all.”

            “Then what happened to it?”

            “Rose had over ten million saved up in various accounts.  The information was stored in the base.  When it was raided by the police they seized that fortune along with everything else they took.  It was supposed to go to Greg and Steven,” Pearl dully explained.  “So, when I arrived at their location and found out that they were living in a van on the beachside I used the money I had saved to purchase the land and build a house for them.  The rest is for Steven’s care, education, and future use as Greg deems worthy.”

            “You gave it all to them?”

            “Not all of it, I kept fifty thousand, but I burned through that faster than I anticipated as I encountered a number of fines for my loitering and I wasn’t working for the first couple of years.  It’s all my own fault for not being more responsible.”

            “That’s very generous of you.  I still have a lot saved up, I can send you some as a sort of contribution to you taking care of them.”

            “I’d just give it straight to Greg.”

            “What about you though?  I don’t want you to get kicked out of your apartment.”

            “Motivation to be more responsible.  I always cooked the best when Yellow Diamond was breathing down my neck,” Pearl halfway grinned.

            “Well, if you do run into a spot of trouble, give me a call, I still got your back even though you ignored me for almost five years.”

            The pale woman chuckled.  “Thanks S.  For all of this,” she motioned to the manila envelope.

            “What are you going to do about Garnet?”

            “Nothing,” Pearl stated as she stood up.

            “Nothing?”

            “Nothing,” Pearl finalized as she opened the door.  “Thanks again for everything.  I’ll see ya around.”

            “Can I at least get your number?”

            “Geez I show up and you are already trying to ask me out?”  Light blue eyes rolled around.  “Fine.”

            The two exchanged numbers and a brief hug before the lithe woman disappeared into the night.

           

            Before returning to Beach City, Pearl made one last stop in Jersey.  In the rundown neighborhood she stopped at the old apartment building.  It looked relatively the same in the condition of the windows, wood, and paint, but the roses had all died.  The beautiful vines of bright green with soft pink blossoms had turned into twisted dark green claws digging into the first level of the unit.  Claws of death and decay.  A heavy sigh left her mouth along with a puff of cigarette smoke.  There was no point in going in, nothing was there except memories that would only hurt.  Pearl turned and walked away.  It would be a few hours before the buses started running again, and she needed to be on the first one back to Beach City so she wouldn’t be late for work.

 

            Strong hands rapped on the black door.  A small, short-haired, blonde woman opened it.

            “What reason do you have to disturb her?” demanded the nasally voice.

            “An update on the location of the individual she has been keeping track of.”

            “Let them in Ms. Pearl,” came the strong cold voice.

            “Yellow Diamond,” the man respectfully bowed as he entered the office and faced the woman sitting behind the desk and working on a computer with multiple screens.  “We have a recent set of pictures and locations of the person.  Several of the addresses validate your assumptions on them being exactly who you thought they were.”

            Yellow eyes glanced away from the computer as the woman looked over the pictures that had been set out by the man.

            “Well, well, well, she certainly is.  Hopefully she will be willing to fill the sudden need we’ve run into once again.  I know that one,” she said as a finger pointed to another individual in one of the pictures.  “This one looks strangely familiar…” the finger tapped on another figure in a different picture.  Eyes traveled over the pictures once again, hovering on a different one in particular.  “Very interesting…  Get me all the information on everyone in these pictures.  I want names, locations, their connection to her, occupations, any weaknesses, everything.  It’s time we moved into action regarding this potential asset.”

            “Yes ma’am!” he quickly gathered all but one of the pictures and left the room.

            Yellow Diamond picked up the photo of the tall, thin, strawberry blonde and grinned.

            “I’m coming for you, Pearl Meyers.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How on Earth could Yellow Diamond not come back?! Some fun information. What could be in that orange envelope?


	16. Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are in the present, but there will be some memories as Pearl looks back. A chunk of a flashback will be signaled by and ended with ******
> 
> Also small warning for a little nsfwish stuff will be marked with /*** and ***\

^^^^^^

Pearl reflects on her memories of coming to Beach City.

^^^^^^

 

            Pearl watched as the sign “Welcome to Beach City” passed by through the bus window in the early morning light.  This had been her first time leaving the city in over the four years she had lived here.  She remembered well seeing the sign for the first time as she drove past it in a rental truck.  The pale woman sincerely hoped the place wasn’t as plain as it sounded.  While the guess had been almost right on, Pearl actually liked the mellow atmosphere of the small city.  It was a breath of fresh air that let her breathe easy for the first time in days.

            The events following the escape at the warehouse were blurred with too many tears and one bad thing right after another.  She didn’t want to deal with all the issues that remaining a Rose Thorn would have caused.  While S was busy trying to keep the members safe and together, Pearl packed up her belongings and left as soon as she had a chance to make a clean escape.  She figured it was for the best.  Garnet was still alive and it would only be a matter of time before her name and profile were put up as a wanted woman.  S had expressed that they, the Rose Thorns, would still need her once they got a second base up and running.  Pearl didn’t commit to anything.  Rose was gone, their base was raided, and it was only a matter of time before all of them were caught.  The former cook cut her losses and headed for the city that Rose had mentioned where Steven and Greg were living.  If there was one thing she did want to do, it was to make sure that Steven was being taken care of.  There was another motivation to cut off contact with S and the remaining Rose Thorns, it was so the cops, other gangs, or Yellow Diamond didn’t come looking for her.  She had a good reputation for the quality of meth she could make, but she didn’t want to get roped into making it for someone else.  Pearl had wanted to help Rose and repay her for taking her in, helping her finish high school, earn her degree in chemistry, and for being her family.  In Beach City, she was determined to start over.

            Finding Greg and Steven hadn’t been hard, seeing the young boy and how much he reminded her of Rose was.  After the umpteenth breakdown, Pearl assessed the living situation for the two.  A van was no home for Steven, especially knowing that Rose’s massive fortune wasn’t going to reach them like it was supposed to.  It didn’t take long to purchase the land, hire a contractor, and have a place built for the two of them.  At the same time, she easily found an apartment to rent and moved in.  Moving in provided a catalyst to yet another breakdown as she ran into items, former gifts from her ex-girlfriend that had been hastily thrown into cardboard boxes during her rushed disappearing act.  It hurt so much that the woman who had been so kind to her, so enjoyable to be around, so fun, exciting, and sincere, had just been using her all along.  Pearl did what she knew was best, she took the things that were bound to remind her of Garnet and set them aflame on the beach.  Light blue eyes had watched as yet another good thing in her life had gone up in flames.  However, that led to her first encounter with Captain Jasper Green and a citation for burning a mattress in an uncontained state.  While other things had been burned, like some clothing, pictures, and such, the mattress had taken the longest and drawn the police’s attention.

            For the first year she spent it either with Steven or loitering around on the boardwalk.  It had been enjoyable and somewhat healing to get to know the bright and happy boy.  He loved her and she could admit to herself that she loved him back.  Greg was very appreciative of her financial assistance and the two worked together to become better friends.

            Pearl smiled at those good memories as she jumped off the bus and walked towards her work.  She didn’t bother eating breakfast, there was no money to buy any with.  And she didn’t have enough time to go home because she actually wanted to arrive on time for once.  Flat feet approached the mechanics shop just as the owner pulled up.  Mr. Mechanic, as she liked to refer to him as, raised a bushy eyebrow up upon seeing her arrive at the same time as him.

            “Well now this is unusual, are you playing a prank on me or something?” his gruffy voice spoke up.

            Pearl huffed and looked to the side.  “I’m going to start being a decent employee to you.  My goal is to stay the full eight hours and show up on time each day.”

            He laughed.  “Fancy words, let’s see if you’ve got some action to back it up.”

            The pale woman nodded and walked into the shop after him.  Working had been a necessity after two years of living in Beach City.  The mechanics shop was the only place that even considered hiring her mostly because no one else had applied to the job.  Mr. Mechanic had run the place by himself for years and finally decided it was time to share the load with an employee.  At first, he resisted, listing off any number of reasons why Pearl shouldn’t work with him.

            “Do you have any experience with cars?”

            “I’ve driven plenty, I know how to change oil, change a tire, hotwire, and unlock a car from the outside,” came her dull reply.

            He paled slightly at her response.  “Great, so I’ve got a former crook wanting to work with me.”

            “If I was a former crook my background check would have said so, my only offenses are loitering and burning mattresses.”

            “Well, can you even be a help?  I’d have to teach you everything.”

            “I have a degree in chemistry and am a fast learner, trust me, you’ll only have to show it to me once.”

            “You’re also a woman, one man and one woman working in the same area alone could cause a lot of problems.  I have a wife and I don’t want to concern her.”

            “I’m a lesbian, so there’s going to be no issue on my end here.  And since you do have a wife there should be no issue on your end either.”

            “Right, I didn’t want to assume…fine, you got the job.”

            For the first few months Pearl was a dedicated employee, arriving on time, learning everything she could, and staying until it was closing time.  However, as she finished learning everything she felt like she needed to, she became bored.  Old habits of avoiding work or rushing things at the last minute eased into her routine.  Since then it had been a constant battle between her and her boss on her lack of commitment.

            Pearl changed into her work jumpsuit and looked at the mess the shop had become.  Her first task would be to organize and clean the whole place while she had down time from working on cars.  Staying the full eight hours that day wasn’t hard, but as the week wore on Pearl struggled to keep up her new goal.  But she made it, and then promptly ran out the door once it hit closing time.  Working full time for a whole week for the first time in several months had its perks.  One, a better paycheck was on its way, two, a little more job satisfaction, three, less nagging from her boss, and four, fewer potential run ins with Garnet for loitering.  Pearl stared at the sidewalk as she walked towards Fish Stew Pizza.  She had been avoiding Garnet since their confrontation a week ago.  Anytime she saw the cop anywhere near her, she practically ran away.  It was for the best, Pearl really couldn’t face the woman now, especially not after learning the truth from S.  The orange envelope addressed to her sat in her small, oak dresser unopened, Pearl didn’t really know if she would ever open it.  Light blue eyes glanced up to see Amethyst standing on the side of Fish Stew Pizza watching her walk over.  The two exchanged a wordless greeting as Pearl lit a cigarette.  A wide hand was extended, silently asking for one as well.

            “Nope,” the pale woman said through a puff of smoke.

            “Aww what?  You’re still sticking to that?” Amethyst complained.

            “I’m not going to give Officer Bailey any reason to haul me in or talk to me.”

            The stocky teen stuck out her tongue.  “She can be a bit of a fun police.  Just yesterday she stopped me from putting a bunch of diuretics and laxatives in some food set out as bait for the seagulls.”

            Pearl made a face.  “I’m kinda glad she did.”

            “Yeah she was upset, I thought Lapis might catch me if anyone did, but Garnet is off of desk duty now.”

            “She was on desk duty?  Garnet hates desk duty.”

            Amethyst raised an eyebrow at Pearl’s comment.  “She had a concussion from catching that meth cook.”

            “Oh, that would make sense why I haven’t seen her patrolling recently.”

            The silver haired teen shrugged.  “You’ve been avoiding her anyways.”

            Pearl breathed out another puff of smoke.

            “Which I don’t completely understand,” Amethyst continued.  “There’s some definite tension between the two of you right now.  I’ve caught you staring at her ass multiple times.  Maybe if you two just spent a night together, then you could go back to being friendly with each other?”

            “That is a horrible idea!” the pale woman’s cheeks burned.  “And I don’t stare at her ass.”

            “Maybe not her ass each time, but you’ve definitely checked her out when she’s not looking.”

            Pearl pursed her lips.  “It doesn’t work like that.  Fucking each other won’t fix what happened.”

            “Have you tried?”

            “Obviously not.”

            “Well then you don’t know.”

            “Look, even if it could work, there’s no way in hell Garnet will let me that close to her again,” the pale woman gruffly stated.  “Not after what I did to her.”  The last sentence was spoken with a low whisper.

            “How did you two break up?”

            “I never said we dated,” Pearl growled.

            “Garnet did,” Amethyst smirked.

            “What?”  Light blue eyes widened in shock.  “I’m not telling how we broke up.”

            “At least tell me who broke up with who.”

            “No.”

            “Pllleeeaasee?”

            “No.”

            “Ugh…you’re no fun,” Amethyst slouched against the brick wall.

            Pearl let out a breath of relief.  Amethyst had been one of the first, and one of the few friends, she had made within Beach City aside from Steven and Greg.  Their first meeting had been a contest of wills.  Pearl had unknowingly decided to loiter in one of Amethyst’s claimed spots, the side of Fish Stew Pizza.  The teen had then tried to show her dominance by trying to fight Pearl off her spot.  Pearl had effortlessly avoided the strikes and had shoved the teen over to the area of the wall farther from the corner by the sidewalk.  Every time Amethyst tried to creep closer, Pearl would push her back, silently telling her to stay in that spot.  Eventually the teen threw a few insults at the pale woman and slouched in her new spot.  Day after day, Amethyst would come to try and chase Pearl off the coveted spot, but would end up in the distant section each time.  Occasionally their little fights would escalate.  One time Pearl kicked Amethyst in the chest after being hit by a rock that the stocky teen had thrown.  Another time the pale woman twisted and yanked Amethyst’s arm behind her back after being punched in the nose.  Insults and fiery arguments would accompany the fights for dominance.  Day after day Pearl won and the teen was left to loiter in the farther corner.  One afternoon, the two approached the spot at the same time.  Amethyst regarded her with a scowl and arms crossed.

            “Are we going to do this every day?” Pearl snapped.  “I’ve been holding back this entire time and would rather just enjoy my time in peace than having to shoo you away.”

            “It was my spot first!”

            “And I took it.”

            “I don’t know if you’ve figured it out yet or not lady, I’m not going to just give it up to you.”

            “You didn’t surrender, I beat you.  Now beat it, shorty.”

            Amethyst growled and stormed off.  For the next few days Pearl was left alone to her peace and quiet until Kofi would call the cops on her.

            Light blue eyes narrowed as they saw the short teen approach her one day.

            “Hey, um lady, I’m not looking to fight you this time for that spot, I just.” She looked to the side.  “There’s plenty of room for the both of us on the wall, so I’m just going to stand over here and not bug you.”

            Pearl rolled her eyes and blew out a puff of smoke.  The teen did as she said she would and stayed in her section of the wall.  Over time Amethyst slowly moved closer to her as the two would have random conversations and bond over spiting the cops that kicked them off the side of the pizza shop.  It wasn’t long before the two were standing side by side making random jokes and teasing each other about things.  Amethyst admitted that she admired Pearl for being so cool and for being different than all the other boring people in Beach City.  Pearl in turn said she liked Amethyst’s spunky attitude and fire.  A couple years later, Pearl’s gift to Amethyst for her sixteenth birthday was her first cigarette; something the short teen had been bugging Pearl for some time.

            As the evening sun disappeared in the horizon, Pearl made her way to her apartment.  She growled at the notice posted on her door that her rent was a couple of days past due.  The lock was pushed back and the thin woman walked into the dark, lonely apartment.  After taking a shower to clean off all the grime from work that day, Pearl opened up the mostly empty top drawer in her oak dresser and stared at the orange envelope once again.  Cold fingers picked at the sealed edge, her curiosity begging her to open it and find out what was inside.

            “PEARL”

            The letters stood out once again.  Pearl sighed and set it back inside the drawer.  She was about to close it when she remembered something.  A small item, the one thing she saved after all these years, a gift she could never bring herself to get rid of.

            _Where did I put it?_

For a few minutes, Pearl dug through her drawers and mostly empty cabinets until she remembered where she had put it.  With a quick shove, she pushed open the folding closet door and crouched down to pull out a box.  Various random things had been thrown in over the years, but she knew it was in there.  It took dumping out the contents to find the black, velvet, jewelry box.  Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes as she picked it up and sat down on the side of her bed.  Carefully she opened the dusty box to reveal what was contained inside.  Sitting nestled in its box was an oval pearl about the size of a two and a half karat diamond.  It shined in the dim lighting, just like it had the night Garnet had given it to her.

 

******

 

            Eyes traced the angular lines of her lover’s face and the soft curve of her lips.  Red lipstick was almost completely worn away or smeared on her face.  Pearl smirked knowing that her body was decorated with a number of those lipstick smears.  It wasn’t often that Garnet wore makeup, but when she did it always managed to take Pearl’s breath away with the simple accents she would apply to her already beautiful face.  A light smile appeared on thick lips.  /***Pearl leaned forward to press her lips against them, their bare bodies coming together once again.  Light blue eyes fluttered closed as their tongues slowly danced together.  She traced the muscular and feminine curves of Garnet’s naked body as they continued to kiss.***\  Pearl frowned when Garnet pulled away unexpectedly.

            “I have something for you,” her low, rich, accented voice spoke up.  “I’ll be right back,” she said and then gave her a quick peck on the lips.

            Light blue eyes watched Garnet slide out of her bed and walk over to her dresser, her body bathed in the faint light of the few candles burning in the room.  Pearl laid there enjoying the view.  The curly haired woman turned back around and climbed onto the bed, holding something in her large hand.  Pearl sat up as Garnet scooted next to her and handed her the object.  The thin woman shifted herself so she was sitting between strong thighs and resting against her girlfriend’s front.  Eyebrows were pulled down in concern when she noticed that she was holding a small, velvet, jewelry box, ones that typically held rings.  A bubble of apprehension rose up in her stomach.

            “It’s not a ring,” Garnet giggled as she kissed Pearl under her ear.

            “Ok…”

            Slightly shaky fingers pried open the box, fighting against the stubborn spring inside the hinge.

            “It’s oval…” Pearl stated as she looked at the oddly formed white pearl.

            “Don’t sound so disappointed,” came Garnet’s teasing voice.

            A warm hand reached out to hold her hand that had the box.

            “I saw this one day sitting in a jewelry store off to the side from the display of pearls set into pieces of metal or strung together.  Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, all made with same looking round pearls all about the same size.  This one was larger than all the others, and just as beautiful, but due to its shape the jeweler hadn’t incorporated it into anything.  At first, I just kept on shopping, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it so I came back.  You were the first thing that popped into my head when I saw this.”

            “So a misshapen, loner pearl made you think of me?”

            Garnet laughed and kissed her again.  “No, a beautiful, unique, pearl that didn’t need to be paired or set with any others.  Just like you.”

            Pearl could feel her face heat up.  “That was extra cheesy, I don’t think I’m going to be able to forgive you for that.”

            “I don’t expect you to.  I know it’s a random gift that you’ll probably throw in your dresser somewhere, but whenever you do look at it I want you to remember that I love you not because you are perfect in the ways that everyone expects, but that you are you, perfectly unique.”

            For a full minute Pearl couldn’t speak.  Fingers traced the smooth surface of the gem carefully.  An oddly shaped pearl rejected and cast aside because it was different only to be picked up by someone who appreciated it.  While she rarely openly admitted her insecurities to Garnet on how she felt about herself, somehow the woman had become well aware of them.  As if reading her thoughts, Garnet spoke up once again.

            “I know it’s hard at times for you to hear me say ‘I love you’ and I don’t know if it’s because you think there is something wrong with you, or that I shouldn’t love you because of something you’ve done, or that somehow you don’t measure up to an arbitrary standard on who deserves love and who doesn’t.  None of that matters to me.  I love you.  You.  How you are and who you are.”

            Pearl turned around and kissed Garnet desperately.  A feeling welled up in her chest, whether it was just an insane amount of happiness or that mysterious feeling called love she didn’t know.  All she knew was that it felt equally amazing as it did terrifying and that she only felt it when she was having moments like these with Garnet.  Her mind pushed away the thoughts and feelings as she began to get lost in the kiss.  Garnet pulled back for a second.

            “Happy One Year Anniversary, Pearl,” she huskily whispered.

            “Happy One Year Anniversary, Garnet,” the pale woman returned.

            “And to many more,” Garnet finished before their lips were pressed together once again.

 

******

 

            The snap from the jewelry box sharply closing echoed through the still room.  Pearl sat on her bed hunched over as tears began the run down her cheeks and onto her pointy nose only to drop to the floor below.  Her bony fist gripped the velvet box tightly as a sob shook her frame.  She had fucked up.  She had fucked up really bad.  Not only had she jumped to conclusions and accused Garnet for all the chaos, but she had nearly killed the woman.  Shot her and left her to die.  And yet no police had come for her arrest, even after they had seen each other again for the first time in years.  Garnet had taken all of the shit that Pearl continuously dished out on her while knowing that she had been completely innocent of all of the pale woman’s accusations.  Pearl felt like shit.  Lower than shit if that was even possible.  And what could she do to make up for it?  Nothing.  There wasn’t anything she could think of that she could ever do to make up for the hurt she caused Garnet.  Pearl continued to cry into her hands.  There was only one thing she could at least attempt to do, which was to no longer waste the second chance Garnet gave her in her personal life.  It was time to become an adult again and pull her shit together.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not done with bittersweet moments. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter before things start to wind up again.


	17. Conversations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are in the present for this chapter! There's actually only one flashback chapter left, so get ready. If you want to learn why Garnet was transferred from Jersey, keep reading ;)

^^^^^^

Chapter 17: Conversations

^^^^^^

Individuals share different conversations about a variety of topics.

^^^^^^

 

            Soft lighting, chill tunes, constant chatter, and the smell of alcohol greeted the burly woman as she walked into the pub.  Jasper took a seat at one of the empty barstools surrounding the bar.  The worn wood was surprisingly comfortable.  As her company for the evening promised, the place had been around for some time and had a good house brew.  Amber eyes scanned the area.  For being 5 o’clock on a Friday, the place wasn’t incredibly busy.  The bartender approached and Jasper ordered a pint of their recommended brew.  She casually sipped on the deep burgundy liquid, actually impressed at the smoothness of the taste.

            “Sorry for keeping you waiting,” the strong voice said as the stocky woman walked from behind Jasper to sit on a bar stool next to her.  “Had to wrangle up a few last loose ends and finish my report for the day.  You know how it is.”

            “I do.”

            Bismuth caught the drink sliding down the bar.

            “Thanks Alexandrite!  You always know what I like.”

            “You always order that,” was the tall woman’s raspy response; her hands already busy with cleaning out a glass.

            The dark woman with dreadlocks chuckled and took a sip.  “It’s a hard cider using both Gala and Fuji apples.  Nothing quite like it.”

            “I bet,” Jasper commented as she took another sip from hers.

            “So,” Bismuth turned to face Jasper.  “What is this that you were wanting to talk to me about?”

            “I want to know more about Officer Bailey, you two obviously have worked together for some time.”

            “What?  I thought you got bored of all my stories about our adventures together.  You came back for more?”

            “I want to know the story behind the missing information in her file.”

            The dark woman turned away slightly and raised an eyebrow as she rested her round elbows on the oak bar.  “Missing information?”

            “The stuff about her eye and her PTSD and whatever else is being hidden.”

            “Who says I would know anything about those things?”

            Jasper puffed out her chest and gritted her teeth.  “You two are quite familiar with each other.  You had plenty of stories about her, recent ones too.  There’s no way you don’t know anything about them,” she grumbled.

            “Who says it happened while we were working together?”

            “The fucking file has a picture of her with _two_ brown eyes!  I know for a damn fact that her left one is half blind.  Here I am getting a file about an officer that is well regarded and successful, only to find that vital information is missing.  I had to stop her from stripping in my squad car because of who knows why?  Something is going on here and I want answers.  Why the hell did she get transferred out of Jersey when her specialty was shutting down dealers?  There are a shit ton more here than in Beach City.”

            Bismuth stared down at her drink, a somber expression forming on her face.  It was replaced by one of carefully concealed anger.  Amber eyes narrowed in suspicion.

            “Bailey is a dedicated officer, strong, determined, borderline obsessed at times.  In her first year of being a new cop she helped to convict three dealers.  All of which sold cocaine.  Two of which were lone wolfs, middle men, while the third was a dealer for the Dumpster Jumpers.  I was training her at the time when she pulled a stunt of going undercover as a potential buyer for some cocaine.  I had no idea how she contacted them or even knew where to go.  We showed up, Bailey stayed undercover for the transaction, but nearly blew it when she recognized the dealer.  I literally had to pry her off that man as she almost beat him into a pulp.”  Bismuth exhaled heavily.  “The Dumpster Jumper dealer turned out to be someone she had known in her teenage years.  A friend’s cousin.  That particular friend of hers had died only a few years before from a cocaine overdose and negligence on behalf of the responding officers.  Turns out her friend’s cousin had been the one selling her the cocaine she had gotten addicted to.”

            “Alright,” Jasper frowned as she rested her cheek against her fist.  “That’s a nice story, but it doesn’t tell me shit about her missing information.”

            “You need to understand that Bailey is a good cop, she just gets carried away and has legitimate reasons for her, at times, odd behaviors.”

            “Ok, so get to the point.”

            “About five years ago there was a large raid planned to catch the leaders for both the Dumpster Jumpers and Rose Thorns, two of the most prominent gangs here.  Bailey and I both were amongst the officers that went in.”  Large hands gripped the half empty glass tightly.  “Many things went wrong that night, many people got injured, and several died on both sides.  The meeting between the two gangs was at a warehouse.  During the shootout between us and all the Dumpster Jumpers, an explosion went off causing all of the tall shelving units to collapse.  I was lucky and was able to make it out from everything on top of me with relative ease.  At the rendezvous point I found that no one had seen or heard from Bailey.  It took so damn long to find where she had been buried,” Bismuth bit out, her throat choked with emotion.  “She was a mess, covered and lying in a puddle of her own blood.  Her leg shot cleanly through and a nasty split down her left eye being some of the more noticeable injuries.  But true to her nature, Bailey worked through the injuries both physical and mental.  She relearned how to aim, rehabilitated her leg, and conquered her fear of wearing her own bulletproof vest.”

            “Why would she be afraid to wear her vest?” Jasper interjected.

            “From the way she explained it to me, it’s the pressure, sometimes it reminds her of the time she was laying under all the weight unable to breathe.”

            “So, this incident caused her eye to go half blind and gave her the PTSD?”

            Bismuth nodded.

            “Then why was she transferred?  Her marks, I’m assuming are all post these injuries, are excellent.”

            “At the yearly physical test, Bailey had a panic attack.  We all were to go in waves so the obstacle course wouldn’t be overloaded.  Bailey, being the fast runner she was, was one of the first two officers to reach the wooden scaling wall.  As she scrambled up just behind the first guy, the wall came loose from its base and fell back trapping her underneath it.  The other officers were ordered to run around as she was left to struggle to get out from under the several hundred pound wall.  She did after a few minutes and then began to make up for lost time.  However, I could see she was limping with her right leg, the one that was shot, and that usually preceded a panic attack.”  Bismuth shook her head, gripping the glass even tighter.  “Bailey ended curled up on the grass.  Once again, we were ordered to not help her.  True to her grit, she did manage to keep her vest on and complete the course with the back end of the group.  But that was enough for our superior to say that she wasn’t fit to be an officer in Jersey.  She was ‘too risky’, or ‘unpredictable’, she could cause potential harm and loss if she had another panic attack on the job.  Jersey was a ‘too dangerous of a place for a cop with her limitations’.”

            Jasper frowned.  “Why didn’t she just retest and show them that she’s just fine?”

            “He wouldn’t allow it.  In under a month the transfer went through and she was sent to Beach City.  A nice, small, quiet place that she could ‘handle’,” the woman with dreadlocks scoffed.

            Amber eyes narrowed.  “That doesn’t make sense, there had to be more to it than that.”

            The muscular woman took a long drink as she waited for Bismuth to finish explaining.  The dark woman sadly laughed.

            “Oh there was more to it.”  Bismuth lowered her voice and discretely looked around the now very busy pub.  “Once Bailey got back on duty after her year and a half recovery, she spent her free time working on something she kept very tight lipped about.  Even I couldn’t get anything out of her until a couple of months before her transfer.  She had been secretly gathering evidence to convict a number of the officers within our own precinct for being corrupt in their dealings, especially with gang members.  Illegal disposition of evidence, accepting bribes, assisting in drug trafficking, looking the other way, all sorts of stuff.  Our superior was even on the list, but she didn’t have enough evidence to cleanly convict him yet.”

            Jasper’s eyes widened.

            “This wasn’t something she could just casually do and expose one at a time, they would all back each other up and she would be just laughed at for being paranoid.  We spoke about it twice very carefully, she showed me where she stashed all of her hard work.  And then…”

            “The physical examination where she was probably intentionally triggered thus resulting to her transfer,” Jasper concluded.

            Bismuth slowly nodded.  “She was in the first group to go and we all knew how fast she was.  The wall falling over was easily brushed off as someone not setting it up correctly, but I bet you anything it was 100% intentional.  Then after her transfer all of the evidence disappeared.  I don’t know how they found it, but they did and all her hard work went right out the window.  I’m trying to do what I can to recover or recreate it, but it’s not something that can be easily done, especially since they’ve been keeping a close eye on me.”

            The sandy haired woman leaned back on her bar stool and chewed on the wild tale.  “So, where does all of Garnet’s missing information fit into this?”

            “Oh,” Bismuth smirked lightly.  “That was me.”

            “What?!”

            “I didn’t want the next precinct to undervalue Bailey based on her listed ‘limitations’, so I removed them right before I sent the files.”

            “That’s illegal!”

            “The originals still exist,” the woman with dreadlocks shrugged.  “I don’t regret my actions.  How would you have looked at Bailey if you knew about her ‘limitations’?”

            Jasper opened her mouth to reply then closed it and sat back.  “I would have kept a closer eye on her.  Her marks were great; that would have helped me worry less about her.”

            “Worry?”

            “Yes, worry,” Jasper slightly growled.  “I served you know, I know what it’s like to experience shit.  I’d rather have known so I could have helped her through her panic attack, just like you wanted to during the physical examination.”

            Bismuth laughed bitterly, a tear rolling down her cheek that was quickly wiped away.  “I had no way of knowing how Bailey would be treated at her new precinct, so I eliminated that possibility.”

            “Well at first I thought she just liked wearing those damn shades to look cool and try to be intimidating.  I bugged her about it one day and she just brushed me off with a statement about some medical bullshit.  She could have just told me, I would have been ok with it.”

            “Well considering Bailey’s past experience, I doubt she was too eager to disclose the specific reason.  But, she’s lucky to have a captain who would rather help instead of hinder.  I wish my precinct was more like that,” Bismuth finished softly.

            “Eh, well there’s only like ten of us in Beach City, so we have to get along otherwise things don’t get done.  Hard to hide when you all sit in the same room.”

            “Very true,” the woman with dreadlocks hummed as she took a sip.  “So, how did you find out?”

            “About what?”

            “Her eye?”

            “Had to take her to the hospital for a concussion, she had freaked out earlier so I was keeping an eye on her.  That’s when I saw.  Though, her PTSD concerns me more.  What are her triggers?”

            “The obvious, too much pressure against her vest.  If you hit her leg just so, but that one you risk her getting majorly pissed at you and beating the shit out of you.  Mostly just pressure.  Bailey said that was the most agonizing part of the whole night…” Bismuth hummed, swirling the remaining hard cider around in the glass.

            “Finish your sentence.  Quit leaving shit out.”

            A thick eyebrow was raised at the burly woman.  “I am under no obligation to tell you any of this.  I only told you because you seem like a good captain that wants the best for her officers.”

            “You at least owed me the missing information in her file,” Jasper huffed as she rested her forearms on the bar and took a long sip of her drink.

            “True.”

            The two officers sat next to each other for a few minutes, slowly working through their glasses and watching the cheerful people around them.

            “Before I go, there’s one last question I want to ask; if you’ll answer it,” the sandy haired captain spoke up as she rolled her shoulders back.

            “Give it a shot, but I’m making no promises.”

            “Did you know any of Bailey’s connections or relationships with dealers?  Ones she might go to for a professional opinion?”

            Bismuth leaned back slightly in surprise.  “The only relationship she had with any dealer was from the sidewalks to the cell doors with nothing in between.”

            “Really?  Not even like one meth dealer?”

            “Meth?!  Hell no.  If Bailey knew the identity of a dealer and had proof they would be locked up in hours.  She doesn’t let them roam around free.”

            Jasper pursed her full lips and hummed.

            “What are you not saying?” Bismuth asked after a couple of moments.

            A toothy grin appeared on the taller woman’s face.  “Frustrating, isn’t it?  Not getting all the answers you want.”

            The woman with dreadlocks laughed in spite of herself.  “Touché”

            Jasper quickly finished the rest of her drink and stood up.  “Welp, I’m gonna head out.  That’s probably all I’m going to get out of you.”

            “You sure you don’t want to sit and let the alcohol get out of your system a little?  I got plenty more stories I could tell you of Bailey and I.”

            “Oh stars no,” Jasper groaned.  “I’m former military, Marines.  That one drink did nothing.”

            Bismuth shrugged.  “Your loss.”

            “Thanks, for providing that missing information.”

            “Sure thing.  Take good care of her, she means a lot to me.”

            “I will.”

            The conversation definitely answered the main questions Garnet had refused to answer.  It was understandable, the dark woman probably didn’t want to think about that traumatizing experience.  Jasper knew that she didn’t like to think about hers.  The buff woman stared out into the streets of Jersey, taking in the scene.  A bustling city of horns, loud conversations, music, flashing lights, and dark alleys.  It bothered her that Bismuth didn’t know anything about Garnet’s meth informant.  Jasper nearly smacked herself in the forehead as she drove back to Beach City.  Garnet went in uniform, her chest camera might have caught part of it or even the whole interaction.

            In a few hours Jasper was at the Beach City police station sifting through the evidence records for the meth drop case.  It didn’t take long to find the date that Garnet had signed out the small portion for an “expert opinion”.  Jasper’s large frame plopped into her rolling chair and with a few keystrokes the files containing the camera recordings were accessed.  Two clicks and she was in Garnet’s section.  A scroll later the captain was at the listed date.  Jasper leaned back and pressed play.

            The dark officer got into the car and drove off towards the edge of the boardwalk.  She parked and walked to the side of the Big Donut.  Jasper’s eyes widened when Pearl Meyers came into view.

 

_“I wanted to ask your professional opinion on something,” the curly haired woman began._

_“Professional opinion?  You’re a despicable human being and you ultimately only care about yourself.” Pearl sneered._

_“I actually wanted your professional opinion on this,” Garnet explained as the bag was pulled out into view._

_Pearl refused to look at it._

_“I’ll be gone quicker if you just look at it.”_

_Light blue eyes rolled around dramatically.  The bag was held out further for her inspection.  Pale, bony fingers picked it up and looked at the crystals contained within._

_“What about it?”_

_“I want to know what kind of quality it is.”_

_“How would I know anything about that?  I don’t even know what this is,” Pearl threw the bag back at Garnet and looked away; folding her arms across her small chest._

_The bag was easily caught with one hand.  “Yes you do.  I know what you did for your work back when we were dating,” came Garnet’s low accented voice._

_The loiterer snapped her head back to look at the sunglasses wearing cop with a mix of horror and surprise._

 

            Jasper stopped the film and rubbed her chin.  While it hadn’t been explicitly stated, there was no doubt in the buff woman’s mind that Pearl Meyers had been a meth cook.

            _So Bismuth doesn’t know, and it seems Garnet didn’t know until they broke up.  Why didn’t Garnet then arrest her?  Lack of proof?  Something else?  Interesting…_

            Gloved fists slowly struck out at the short teen.  Amethyst watched and reacted, bringing up her arm to tuck it against the side of her head and block the light hook.  Garnet brought her other fist coming in a little faster at the teen’s unguarded side.  Amethyst grunted in frustration when she was unable to drop her elbow fast enough to block the soft hit.  A light smirk played on the older woman’s face as she took a step back and casually circled the other.  Even in the cool beach air, sweat trickled down both of their faces as they continued the lesson for the day.  The silver haired teen darted forward swinging eagerly.  Garnet effortlessly avoided her strikes and tapped her a couple of times in open spots.  After another minute of the two exchanging light blows, a buzzer rang out from the phone sitting nearby.  The two lowered their fists.  Garnet took off her training gloves, walked over to the phone, and turned off the alarm.

            “That will be it for today,” she informed.

            “What? No new punches?  Or kicks?” Amethyst complained.

            “It’s only your second lesson.  It takes time for these to sink in.”

            “But all we did today was blocks and more blocking.  At least last week you taught me how to punch.”

            “Well, it’s hard to know how to block when you don’t even know what it is that you’re blocking,” Garnet shrugged.  “Plus, I figured you would get bored on me if I started you with defense.”

            “Hey,” the tan teen shrugged, “in my world a strong offense is the best defense.”

            The curly haired woman hummed as she took a sip from her water bottle.  “Have you ever been hit in the face before?  Hard?”

            “A couple of times.”

            “How easy was it to think after being hit?”

            “I don’t remember, I was just in the heat of the fight, no time to think or plan.  Just swing and get crazy!”

            “That does work at times, but if you are unable to protect yourself from strikes that will muddy your ability to think while fighting, you stand a greater chance to lose.”

            “So I’ll just hit them first!  Fast offense equals great defense.”

            Garnet chuckled as she leaned against her car that was parked nearby.  “And there’s no possibility that you might get into a fight with someone who might be stronger or faster than you?”

            “Not a chance!”

            The dark woman laughed again, shaking her head slightly.  “While that would be nice, that’s not how it usually is.  Most of the time I’ve had to fight, it’s with someone bigger and stronger.  The only ways I’ve won those fights was to think or to have back up.”

            Amethyst drank from her water bottle, dumping the majority of the cool liquid on herself.  “So you’re teaching me how to block so I have better chances at winning a fight?” she rolled her eyes.

            “Blocking and striking go hand in hand.  Let me show you,” Garnet spoke as she motioned for Amethyst to approach her.

            The two circled each other again, Garnet waiting patiently for Amethyst to punch.  The teen sent a fast cross at Garnet.  One hand quickly parried the punch, shoving it across Amethyst’s body.  An instant later the block was followed with a powerful cross that stopped mere millimeters from the silver haired teen’s face.  Garnet held her fist there for a moment to emphasize the teaching moment.

            “You…” Amethyst’s eyes were wide in surprise.  “You combined them!  I couldn’t even punch back!  My own arm was blocking me.”

            The curly haired woman nodded.

            “That’s so COOL!” tan arms were thrown into the air.  “Ok, I get it now, I guess I should learn some blocking.”

            Garnet grinned.  “A good defense can be a great offense too.  You can’t lose if your opponent can never hit you.”

            “Yes, oh wise teacher,” Amethyst bowed with flourish.

            The two laughed.

            “So same time next week?” the teen confirmed.

            “Yup,” Garnet nodded.  “We’ll be practicing more of these four main blocks and strikes so they get seared into your brain.”

            “What?  Nothing new?”

            “Basics first.”

            “Fiiinnneee.”

            “You’ll thank me later.”

            Garnet picked up her equipment, dusting off the sand and throwing it into the back of her car.  The day’s lesson had gone well.  Amethyst retained most of what she had taught her the week prior and picked up quickly on how to perform the various blocks.  Next week she was going to speed up her strikes and get Amethyst more comfortable with actual fight pacing.

            “There’s some fancy pants talking to Pearl of all people,” Amethyst’s voice called out from the other side of the car.

            _Not a concern of mine._

Garnet checked the area to make sure she had cleaned up everything.  The silver haired teen was standing still facing where Pearl must be hanging out with the “fancy pants”.

            “You should check this out G.  The lady doesn’t look like she’s from around here or here for a vacation either.”

            Mismatched eyes rolled behind her shades, before Garnet reluctantly turned to glance in Pearl’s direction.  Eyes narrowed as she observed the interaction from afar.  The woman Amethyst was referring to as “fancy pants” was someone that made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle.  Tall, blonde short hair, grey business suit, thick black eyeliner accenting their eyes, and a dominating presence.  Pearl’s body language screamed that she was uncomfortable and was only conversing because there was no other viable option.  It didn’t take long to locate the woman’s car.  A silver Audi with a driver waiting for whenever the conversation ended.  While not completely unusual, it did make Garnet do a double take of the area.  A couple sitting on the bench wearing tacky palm tree print shirts and board shorts, a lone woman staring sideways at the ocean, one guy at the pizza shop not eating pizza, and a few regulars of Beach City roaming around.  Before the curly haired woman could analyze further, Miss Fancy Pants walked away and stepped into the Audi that had pulled up next to her.  In moments, the car disappeared down the streets of Beach City.

            “Man that was weird,” Amethyst commented as she placed her hands on her hips.  “Nice car though, gotta wonder what it smells like inside.”

            “Money.”

            The teen snorted.  “Good one G!  Well I’m going to go bug P now and find out what that was all about.”

            Garnet hummed as she continued to stare in Pearl’s direction.  Amethyst began to head in the smoker’s direction.

            “Amethyst,” the dark woman called out.

            “What?”

            “Let me know if you see that woman again, especially if she’s talking to Pearl.”

            The silver haired teen made an odd face.  “Ok…what, you jealous?” she tried to tease.

            “Not in the least,” Garnet stated as she got into her car.

 

            Pearl sighed and relaxed against the side of the pizza shop.  It had been a long, boring day at work, but she was still doing well in staying for the full eight hours.  For a moment, she was actually proud of herself, especially since her larger paycheck enabled her to make her rent payment.  It had been over two weeks late, but the manager was willing to overlook it one last time.  Thin fingers flicked the short cigarette butt onto the sidewalk.  She maybe had about five more minutes before Kofi came out and told her to scram.  Light blue eyes closing for a moment as she pulled out another cigarette and placed it between her lips.  Fingers fumbled around for her lighter inside her leather jacket pocket and finally got a hold of it just as she felt the heat from another source right by her face.  Pearl’s eyes snapped open and she jerked away from the unexpected flame that was next to her unlit cigarette.  Eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when she saw just who was standing in front of her with a lit lighter.  A cool smirk appeared on the tall, imposing woman’s round lips.

            “Looked like you could use a light,” was her sly response.

            “Yell-Yellow-!”

            Yellow eyes narrowed dangerously at Pearl, effectively silencing her.  The strawberry blonde coughed and accepted the light for her cigarette.  The gold, metal case was closed with a flick of Yellow Diamond’s wrist, the metal snapping through the tension in the air.  She casually put it away.

            “How, how did you find me?” Pearl got out.

            “I’ve always known where you’ve been, Pearl,” Yellow Diamond evenly stated.

            Pearl swallowed heavily, trying her best not to shrink away from the Drug Lord.

            “So this is Beach City, it’s just as boring as I figured it would be.  A sleepy tourist town, a good place to hide if you don’t mind the small-town effect.  Or retire,” Yellow Diamond added with a tiny grin in the corner of her lips as she looked out across the boardwalk.  “A number of interesting people have decided to take up residence here evidently.”

            “Why are you here?” the pale woman asked.

            “That should be simple enough to figure out,” the Drug Lord returned her attention to Pearl.

            Pearl blew out a puff of smoke and glanced away.  “My answer is still ‘No’.”

            “It is?” Yellow Diamond said with a slightly amused tone.

            “Yes.”

            “Even with your current lack of funds, you’re still going to turn down my generous offer?”

            “I’m done cooking and I’m not going back to it.”

            “Really?”

            “I only cooked because-”

            “Rose asked you to,” Yellow Diamond finished Pearl’s sentence.

            The shorter woman glared at the other.

            “Tell me Pearl, did she also ask you to look after her son?”

            “What?!” came Pearl’s raspy response.

            “Steven.  Did she ask you to look after him?”

            “How did you-!”

            “Why are you surprised?  There aren’t too many Greg Universes in the area and the ages all matched up, along with medical records.”

            “Leave Steven alone,” Pearl growled.

            “Tell me, how much does he know of his late mother?”  Yellow Diamond continued, completely ignoring Pearl.  “Have you told him about the people she’s killed?  The drugs she dealt?  Or did you just tell him about the lost souls she took in and welcomed into her family?” the Drug Lord smirked.

            Tense moments of silence passed by, Yellow Diamond’s grin widening ever so slightly at Pearl’s lack of immediate response.

            “He’s just a young boy, he’s too young to know that about her.  Besides it’s not my decision, that’s Greg’s,” the former cook deflected.

            The blonde hummed.  “I disagree.  The older he gets the more it’s going to shatter his world when he finds out the truth about Rose.  That she wasn’t this selfless do-gooder woman who took care of the unfortunate.”

            “She was a whole lot better than you,” Pearl growled.

            A blonde eyebrow was raised up.  Yellow Diamond leaned in to tower over Pearl.

            “I don’t pretend to be something I’m not.  I do not hide that I’ve killed and that I help to effectively spread drugs all over the country.  I don’t put up a façade of a caring motherly figure who then guilted her rescues into joining her gang.  I extend fair offers and chances to all who work for me.”

            “And when they refuse you kill them.”

            “You’re still alive.  It all depends on how they refuse my offer or ask to stop working for me.  Like you are familiar with, traitors are not to be let to roam free.”

            Pearl huffed.  “At least Rose did some good, you do no such thing.”

            “I provide cash flow for the economy and help to remove those weak souls who cannot exist without their vices.  I help in a different way,” the Drug Lord shrugged off.

            “Why are you coming for me now?” Pearl changed topics.

            “My supply line has been tampered with.”  Yellow Diamond stated offhandedly.  “You know I like to deal good product.  Right now you’re one of my top picks, thought I’d offer you the chance first.  A place to stay, a nice cut of whatever you make.  All your needed supplies, better security, and all the free time you want as long as you make what I want.  Not a bad deal.”

            “I’m not changing my answer,” Pearl firmly stated as she stared at the ground.

            “I see,” Yellow Diamond nodded.  “That is unfortunate.  However, I am no cutthroat, I will respect your decision as I did back then.  If you should change your mind, you need to only contact me.”

            “Don’t count on it,” Pearl blew out a stream of smoke.

            Yellow Diamond smirked slightly.  She then turned and spoke into her phone.

            “Bring the car up, we have no more business to do here.”

            The expensive car silently rolled up to the curb next to them.  The Drug Lord stepped in and closed the door without giving Pearl one last glance.  Pearl involuntarily shivered.  She inhaled a large puff of smoke before exhaling it with a huge sigh as she made a mental note to check on Steven and Greg later that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Things are going to build again and then get crazy! But before then, next chapter will be our last flashback chapter.


	18. Rehabilitation and Adjustment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are in the past for this chapter. This is the last complete past chapter, so enjoy it!

^^^^^^

Garnet’s recovery takes some time before she is able to resume work as an officer.

^^^^^^

 

            Metallic clicking followed Garnet as she slowly moved from her bedroom into her bathroom, resounding in time with each instance the crutches made contact with the ground and were forced to bear her weight.  A grumble weaved through her thick lips; just the short trip hurt her sore armpits.  Crutches, she decided, were designed purely for function and without any consideration towards comfort with long time use.  Garnet carefully leaned them against the wall by the sink.  Hands turned on the water and grabbed the washcloth, she let the fabric soak up the cold water before wiping it over her face.  It still felt weird to not feel the cold against the top half of the leftmost side of her face, but she was slowly getting used to it.  The cloth was wrung out and hung on the nearby metal towel rack.  Reluctantly, Garnet looked up at herself in the mirror.  Her frown deepened.  While the skin had sealed back together, it still had a split leaving a very noticeable scar running along with her cracked eye.

            _As if I needed anything more to call attention to it._

A hand was brought up and covered her left eye.  For the moment she tried smiling.  She tried to see some of the woman she had been.  It quickly faded and was replaced with her usual downcast expression.  Garnet covered her right eye.  That was her now.  A broken, empty shell.  Useless and damaged just like her half blind eye was.  Hands were braced against the sink as she leaned on it to give her left leg a few seconds of rest from supporting her whole body.  It had been one whole week since she’d left the hospital.  Garnet had insisted on returning to live in her apartment.  While it gave her the space she desired, it did come with a number of setbacks, mostly memories and things that would remind her of how her life was before that night at the warehouse.  Eyes were quickly shut.

            _Don’t think about it.  You’re fine.  You will heal.  You just need to take time and have patience._

Garnet made her way into the kitchen.  She planned on making breakfast, then she noticed the time and decided she would have breakfast for lunch.  Sleep was great for healing, but she felt that she was maybe doing a bit too much sleeping.  She needed to be up doing things.

            _Like what?  What can you even do right now?_

A snarl of frustration was formed when she reached for the salt only to knock it over before grabbing it.  Her depth perception was off, especially with anything close to her.  Knocking things over with her hands or bumping into furniture were common, yet she had very little issue with telling how far things were from her that were in the distance.  Garnet stood next to the frying pan as she cooked up some eggs and bacon.  In a few minutes, the food finished cooking and she hopped over to the table to sit down. White teeth were gritted as her head began to noticeably hurt.  She grabbed her crutches and headed for her bedroom where her set of aviator sunglasses were kept; the clicking of the aluminum rods following her every step.  The dark woman had hoped the light sensitivity would fade with time or adjustment training, but that was becoming less likely with each day that passed.  By the time she sat back down to her meal, her appetite had gone out the window once again.

_You need to eat in order to heal._

            Garnet grabbed a fork, stabbed the food, hitting a piece of bacon instead of the eggs she was aiming for, and forced herself to eat.  A few minutes later the dishes were washed and Garnet was ready to just go back to sleep.  However, someone knocking on her door informed her that she would not be doing so.  After checking the peephole, the curly haired woman opened the door; awkwardly backing up with her crutches while pulling the door along.

            “Don’t worry about that Garnet, we can take care of the door,” Ruby smiled as she stepped in alongside Sapphire.

            “I can do it, Mum,” Garnet grumbled.

            “We know you can, I just want to make things easier for you.”

            “I’m fine.  Do either of you want any water?”

            “We’re fine,” Sapphire smiled.  “Let’s sit down.  Ruby has something for you.”

            “It’s from both of us,” Ruby protested.

            “But it was your idea and you did all the research.”

            “And you helped me pick out the right ones and everything, it’s from both of us.”

            “Alright,” Sapphire finally agreed.

            The daughter swung herself over to the couch and sat down.  Her mothers sat down right next to her.  Ruby extended the deep red box she had been holding out to Garnet.  Garnet pulled the top half of the box off and looked inside.  There were several deep red cases eight inches long, six inches wide, and three inches thick contained within.  Each one had a simple fancy word imprinted in gold on the top, “Carnelian”.  Garnet reached in and pulled one out, opening it carefully.  The case held a set of reflective sunglasses that had hues of pink and blue shining back at her.  Wide frames, thick sides, and pointed ends instead of round curves for the lens area.

            “Try ‘em on!” Ruby encouraged with an anxious grin.

            The aviators were removed and the new glasses were placed on.  Garnet breathed out in surprise.  Her vision was completely covered in a nice shaded layer, no light was seeping in from the sides, the joints, from above, or around her nose.  They were also very comfortable.  Instead of the typical plastic to hold the sunglasses on the nose, there was a type of hard foam that compressed a little to fit her nose and distribute the minimal weight of the sunglasses evenly.  Around the ear the material the glasses were made of was shaped so it didn’t cut into her ear and had a nice layer of that same hard foam.  Garnet rotated her head to look around.  Her vision wasn’t impaired by them at all; no metal wires or springs to block what she could still see.  Sapphire held up a mirror.  Garnet stared at her reflection.

            “They cover up much more than I thought they would,” Ruby frowned.  “I thought they would be much smaller on your face, like sporty glasses.”

            “They’re perfect,” Garnet stated.

            “What?”

            “I love ‘em, thank you Mums,” she grinned, her smile actually reaching her covered eyes.

            “You do?”

            “I do,” Garnet nodded.  “They are comfortable, and keep my vision protected while not inhibiting it.”

            _And they cover up my scars._

            “Phew!” Ruby breathed out in relief.  “I was worried for a second that you wouldn’t.”

            “Tell her about the other features,” Sapphire nudged her wife, a small smile playing on her full lips.

            “Oh right!  They aren’t just some cool looking shades, but they are also highly rated for deflecting and protecting you from most bullets used in handguns.  So, when you can go back to work, these will be there to protect you.”

            “Really?” Garnet asked, genuinely surprised.

            “Yeah the lady who makes ‘em had several pictures up of how the sunglasses did against various types and sizes of bullets at different distances.  Pretty convincing if you ask me.”

            “I’ll make sure to wear them all the time.  Maybe I should even put a pair around my leg,” Garnet lightly joked.

            Sapphire and Ruby paused for a moment to glace at each other before joining in with Garnet on laughing slightly.

            “It’s good you like them, Ruby got several pairs,” Sapphire informed.

            “I noticed, there’s a number of cases in here,” the daughter said as she began to remove some of them from the box.  After pulling out five and seeing she wasn’t close to emptying the box, she looked up at Ruby.  “Just how many did you buy?”

            “Maybe fifteen,” the curly haired mother chuckled

            “14 actually.”

            “14!  But the fifteenth was free,” Ruby triumphantly smirked.

            Garnet laughed as she put the cases back into the box.  “Well, then I should be set for life.”  She reached out and wrapped her mothers in a tight hug.  “Thank you so much for these, I really appreciate it.”

            “Anything for you, our sweet baby girl,” Ruby kissed her cheek.

            Sapphire hummed in agreement as she also gave Garnet a kiss.  The daughter returned the gesture.

            “How are things going for you today?” Sapphire posed.

            Garnet leaned back against the couch.  “I slept well, I guess.  Made some breakfast.”

            “That’s good to hear!” Ruby smiled.  “What did you make for breakfast?”

            “Bacon and Eggs.”

            “Solid,” Ruby nodded in approval.  “I still don’t like how big the sunglasses are.  They cover up too much of your face.  I can’t even see your eyebrows.  We should exchange them for the smaller size,” she turned to her wife.

            “I like it that way,” Garnet defended.  “You both did a great job in picking them out, no need to return them.”

            The two mothers shared a look.

            “Is it because you can’t see your scar with them on?” Sapphire gently asked.

            Garnet looked away.

            “What?!  But they look cool!  So what if people stare a little.  Those are battle scars, be proud of them.” Ruby burst in.

            “It wasn’t a battle, it was a beating,” Garnet spat out between clenched teeth.  “It was humiliating, it was pathetic.  I should have acted quicker, made better decisions, but instead I didn’t.  And now I have a half blind eye and a hole in my leg.”

            “You didn’t do any of those things, Garnet.  I have no doubt that you acted with your best judgment in there.  Things just don’t always turn out well,” Sapphire interjected.  “It’s your choice on how to deal with your resulting injuries.  Yes, people will stare, and they will ask questions.  If you want to cover it to avoid all that trouble then there is nothing wrong with that.”  The dark woman tipped Garnet’s chin up with her small hand.  “But if you want it to be seen, then there’s nothing wrong with that either.  It’s your decision.”

            Garnet silently nodded.  Ruby sat back and folded her arms across her chest.

            “Sapphy is right.  There’s nothing wrong with covering it.  She does the same thing and I love her either way.”

            Sapphire hummed in agreement.

            “Mum,” the curly haired daughter directed towards Sapphire.  “How did you adjust to your limited sight?  Especially with close range depth perception?”

            “I don’t know how different things will be for you.  I was born with one blind eye, so the adjustment happened when I was very young.  During this time while your body adjusts, practice moving your head side to side to perceive different angles of the item you are wanting to grab or locate.  Keep doing your usual activities, don’t limit yourself, just give your body time to normalize.”

            “Ok,” Garnet nodded.  “Thanks.  I was going to wait until my physical therapy session to ask about it, but that’s not for a couple more days and well, you probably have much more experience with this stuff than they will.”

            Sapphire nodded with a smile.

            “I know it’s frustrating for you, but just remember to give it time.  You’ll be back on your feet in no time.”

            “I hope so,” Garnet dryly chuckled.

            Ruby and Sapphire gave her encouraging smiles.

            “I’m going to get some water, do either of you want any?” Garnet asked as she stood up and swung over to the cabinet.

            “I could use a glass,” Ruby spoke up.  “And so does Sapphire.”

            The daughter filled up the glasses and the two came over to grab them.

            “Has Pearl been around to see you yet?  Or has she been too busy with work?” Ruby inquired as they sat down.

            Garnet gripped her glass of water tightly.  She did not want to talk about this.  She did not want to think about it.

            “We broke up,” came the harsh whisper.

            Sapphire pulled back in surprise.

            “WHAT?!” the curly haired mother shouted.  “WHEN?  WHY?!”

            Garnet was silent as she contemplated her answer.  Her mothers waited on pins and needles for the answer.

            “The day before the warehouse bust.  I guess it didn’t hit me until I woke up in the hospital.”

            “Pearl broke up with you?” Sapphire tried to clarify.

            “Yes.  She didn’t trust me.  So, she ended it.  I haven’t seen or heard from her since.”

            “WHAT?!” Ruby exploded as she jumped off the couch and began to pace around.  “HOW COULD SHE!  HOW COULD SHE NOT TRUST YOU?! You’ve been nothing but faithful and honest with her!  ARRGGHHHH.  I JUST WANT TO STRANGLE-”

            “Ruby, please,” Sapphire gently took her wife’s hand.

            “She broke our girl’s heart!  If I ever see her I’m gonna make it so she wished she never lived!”

            Garnet stared at the floor, thankful for how well her new sunglasses covered the emotions in her eyes as Ruby continued to rant.  Sapphire took a seat next to Garnet and rubbed her back.

            “That’s what upset you so much at the hospital, wasn’t it?”

            “Yes.”

            The long haired mother sighed and kissed Garnet’s cheek.  “I’m sorry Garnet, I wish I had known sooner.”

            “It’s ok, I didn’t tell either of you.”

            “AND SHE MADE HER DELICIOUS FOOD!” Ruby continued to vent.

            Garnet smirked and chuckled as she watched her fiery mother pace around the living room.

            “I wish I could have been more like Mum when Pearl broke up with me, but all I did was just stare after her as she walked away,” curly hair waved back and forth as Garnet shook her head.  “Not much I can do about that now.”

            “We’re here for you Garnet, whenever you’re ready to talk about all that happened, or help with your rehabilitation, or anything you need.  We love you and we want the best for you,” Sapphire kindly smiled.

            “EXACTLY!"  Ruby whirled around to face the two of them.  "You are our precious daughter and no one is going to get away with hurting you if I have any say in it!”  She walked over and sat on the other side of Garnet.  “Sapphire’s right.  We love you and we will help you in any way we can.”

            “Thank you.  I love you too, Mums,” the daughter said with emotion as they hugged her.

            The two mothers visited for a little while longer before they left to do some grocery shopping.  Garnet asked to come along, and with some convincing that she needed a change of scenery they let her.  It was different, yet the injured woman didn’t mind being out in public with her crutches when she was surrounded by her loving mothers.  The random stares didn’t bother her at all.  Garnet’s mothers were happy that she was alive and she was beginning to appreciate that fact as well.

 

            After two months, she was able to mostly support her weight with both of her legs.  However, her leg would start to hurt if she walked around too much without any sort of support.  So a cane was issued by her physical therapist.  Garnet offhandedly joked about feeling older than Bismuth when she dropped by the police station one day.  The woman with dreadlocks bust up laughing and then told Garnet that she was proud of her progress.  After visiting with a few officers, the curly haired officer made her way back into the evidence room.  Looking through all of the files and reports on the warehouse bust sent her mentally spiraling down the first couple of times she examined them.  Yet the determination to find out exactly what had happened that night helped her to push through and double check all of the conclusions made.  One thing in particular jumped out at her while reading through everything.  Metal Bin’s escape was through the back area of the warehouse.  The two cops that reported being unable to see or catch him were officers that she didn’t trust and often would just “lose” evidence or sight of a criminal.  There was more to look into there, but that would have to wait.  With two copies of all evidence on the warehouse bust, Garnet collected one other project from her personal desk.  Just seeing the paperwork and information contained on them brought painful tears to her eyes.  The dark officer clenched her teeth and quickly grabbed all the papers.  She practically ran out the door with everything as she tried to leave the station before she became a crying mess.  At home Garnet cried out in anger and hurt as she punched her couch cushions.  It wasn’t until the next day that she was able to organize the papers and write a brief note before sliding them into an orange envelope, sealing it, and writing “PEARL” on one side.  Garnet glanced at her mangled couch cushions and decided that a new purchase might be in order soon, one that would help her both rehabilitate and work out her anger.  The curly haired woman gave herself another day before she attempted to contact S at her apartment; only to find that she had moved.  Even though Garnet was on leave for her injury, she still had some access to the tools and information she used as an active police officer.  In a couple of hours, she was on a bus towards a new location with the evidence and the orange envelope.  Garnet set her face and prepared herself to speak with Sheena Thorn.

 

            Spiked shoes struck the track surface as long dark legs raced down the lane.  With expert timing, the leading leg was extended while the trailing was tucked up tight against her body as she sailed over the hurdle.  Garnet breathed out heavily as she pushed herself faster and faster towards the finish line; her light tank top and running shorts rippling in the wind.  She crossed the line extending herself out just like her coach had taught her.  As she recovered her breath, she walked over to where Bismuth was standing.

            “What was my time?” Garnet got out.

            Bismuth frowned for a split second.  “We aren’t going to worry about that today.  You did well, not a single hurdle was hit.”

            “What was my time?” Garnet repeated firmly.

            “I’m not going to tell you, you’ve been improving, numbers only mean so much.”

            “Just tell me!”

            “No,” Bismuth frowned as she hit the reset on the stopwatch right before Garnet tried to grab it to see the numbers.

            “Fine.  I’ll just run it again and I’ll time myself,” the curly haired woman huffed as she set her wristwatch and began to head towards the start line for the 100m hurdles.

            “No, that was the last run for the day.  You need to rest otherwise you risk pushing your leg too far.”

            When Garnet kept on heading towards the start line, Bismuth quickly chased after her.

            “It’s been a year, Bismuth.  I should be back where I was.  I need to know so I know how much more work I need to do.”

            “You’ve done all you need to do today, now you need to rest.  Bailey stop.”

            They stood still for a moment.  Bismuth sighed, placing her large hands on her hips.

            “You’ve come so far in such a short time.  You can sprint for stars sake after barely a year of having a bullet go cleanly through your leg; not everyone can do that, but you still need to rest and not get all stubborn on me!”

            “Then tell me my time and I won’t run it again.”

            Bismuth debated for a moment.  Garnet started walking towards the start line again.

            “Fine.  It was 18.03 seconds.”

            “What?!” the curly haired woman stared at Bismuth in disbelief.  “That’s five whole seconds worse than my record!”

            “A record that was set in your senior year of high school at the top of your track training.  Give yourself a break,” Bismuth tried to reason.

            “A break?  I’ve had enough breaks, I need to work!”

            The woman with dreadlocks exhaled heavily and folded her arms across her chest.  “You want to work?  You want something to improve on?  Then let’s head over to the police station.”

            “Alright, fine,” Garnet nodded.

            “Though not until you take a shower, you’re covered in sweat and stink.”

            The taller woman shoved her friend for the remark.

            An hour later the two stood in the women’s locker room.

            “So what’s this thing you want me to work on?”

            “Put this on,” Bismuth stated as she tossed Garnet a bulletproof vest.

            “That’s it?” the curly haired woman chuckled.

            Garnet smirked as she opened it up and slipped it on, slowly securing it to her body.  As each strap was pulled tightly into place, Garnet’s smirk began to falter.  It was pushing against her, trapping her.  The weight was crushing, she couldn’t push it off.  Garnet fell to the floor; Bismuth’s voice was far away as the woman called out to her.  Blood bubbled up from the tile floor, soaking her body as she lay there unable to breathe.  She tried to move but she was trapped under all that pressure, her leg was burning like it had just been shot through.  This was it, she couldn’t keep fighting, she couldn’t breathe.  Garnet’s eyes rolled back into her sockets as she blacked out.

 

            Air was drawn into her suddenly active lungs as the pressure was ripped away from her chest.  Above the disoriented officer was Bismuth calling out to her as she removed all of the straps securing the vest.

            “Stay with me Bailey!”

            Garnet breathed in again, and again.  Her breathing rapidly picking up pace as she lay there in a cold sweat.  Fingers gripped at the cool tile floor as she began to hyperventilate.

            “Hey now, settle down, deep breaths.  Do it with me, breathe in………breathe out………breathe in………breath out,” Bismuth gently instructed.

            With considerable effort Garnet was able to slowly regain control of her breathing.  After a couple of minutes, she sat up, leaning against the nearby locker.

            “It felt just like…”

            Bismuth sadly nodded as she placed a comforting hand on Garnet’s shoulder.  “I had a feeling that might be the case.  You scared me pretty good there.  Passed out for a couple seconds until I started removing the vest.”

            Garnet exhaled heavily and played with one of the straps on the vest.  “Can’t be an officer if I can’t wear my gear.”

            “We’ll work on that.  You’ll conquer this just like you’ve mastered your vision and your legs.”

            The curly haired woman nodded, clasping her hand with Bismuth’s as they shared a brief hug.

 

            For the next six months, Garnet trained and studied tirelessly.  Her new 400lb punching bag served to be an excellent purchase that she used on a daily basis.  Garnet’s rustiness in combat was broken off as Bismuth and she would spar together at regular intervals.  It wasn’t long until the taller cop was giving the other a run for her money in the training ring.  Bismuth had also pulled a few strings so Garnet could take a bulletproof vest home and work on adjusting to wearing one again.  However, the older officer ordered Garnet to not put it on unless someone else was around that could help her in case she needed it.  The second time the curly haired woman put on the vest she was able to breathe normally for a couple of seconds before a python wrapped around her chest and she was back in the warehouse buried under the hundreds of pounds, surrounded by her own blood.  Garnet ripped it off and threw it across the room, taking a seat as she worked to calm down.  In time, day after day, attempt after attempt, the dark officer was able to extend the period of time she wore the vest.  After a month, she could wear it for a couple of hours, in three months she could wear it for eight.  By the time her leg was completely recovered, she could wear the vest for as long as she wanted to.  At the same time she had been working on her physical recovery, Garnet began a personal project to better understand what the causes for Metal Bin’s escape and how the illegal drug scene had become so prevalent in Jersey and in neighboring cities.  As she uncovered one secret after another she realized that the problem wasn’t just on the streets, but all the way throughout her own precinct and many others.  It would be a dangerous thing to call out, so she needed to be careful and watch her back while she gathered the necessary evidence.

 

            A year and a half after the warehouse bust, Garnet stood tall in her complete uniform as she was welcomed back to the precinct as a full-time officer.  Her smile was wide and it went all the way to her covered eyes.  She could now resume her work to make Jersey a better place both on and off the streets.  Off to the side she saw Bismuth wipe away a couple of tears.  Garnet was determined and ready for the new challenges she would face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We return to the present next chapter and then the next one will start to pick up the intensity.
> 
> Also this chapter had a brief cameo of Carnelian from Points of Pain! This was a character I had made long before we met Carnelian in "That Will Be All". Interestingly enough both are short and round.


	19. Joy Ride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are back in the present picking up right where we left off. It's time Pearl and Amethyst had some fun.

^^^^^^

Pearl and Amethyst spend time together getting into trouble.

^^^^^^

 

            “What is up P!”

            Pearl jumped and whirled her head to see Amethyst running up to her holding her hand up for a high-five.  She exhaled another puff of smoke and slouched slightly.

            “Aww c’mon P, don’t leave me hanging.”

            The smoker rolled her eyes and lightly smacked the teen’s hand.  She pulled back with distaste and wiped the sweat from Amethyst’s hand on her shirt.

            “Your hand is all sweaty.”

            The silver haired teen shrugged and smirked as she leaned against the building.  “Just finished my training with G-man.  I’m gonna be a great fighter before too long, might even be able to take you on,” she teased as she threw a couple of playful punches at Pearl.

            “Oh please,” the strawberry blonde rolled her eyes.  “In your dreams.”

            “G’s a good teacher, she knows her stuff.”

            “I bet,” Pearl was already done with the conversation.

            “So who was Miss Fancy Pants?” Amethyst suddenly asked.

            “Who?”  A strawberry blonde eyebrow was raised up.

            “The fancy lady who was just talking to you.”

            Pearl just stared at Amethyst.

            “Blonde hair, really tall, suit.”

            “Oh! Oh…no one important.”

            “Riiight,” violet eyes rolled around in their sockets.  “C’mon P, tell me who she was,” Amethyst nudged her.

            Pearl frowned and pressed her lips into a thin line.

            “Is she some sort of granola saleswoman?  Are you like her big customer because you order lots of granola from her?”

            “How did you even come up with that?”

            “Hey!  You’re not giving me any clues so I’m just going to keep on making shit up until you tell me otherwise.”

            The pale woman stared down the road the silver Audi had driven away on.

            “Hopefully she never comes back,” was her cryptic response.

            “What seriously?!  You gotta tell me now!” Amethyst burst out.

            Pearl remained silent.

            “So she’s a granola assassin then.  And she’s been recruiting you for her cereal killing team, but you refused because you actually are more of a fan of consuming Cream of Wheat.  But now she’s going to come back with a vengeance, stealing all of your Cream of Wheat until you have nothing left but to accept her offer and become…a _cereal killer_ ,” Amethyst finished with a dramatic gasp.

            Light blue eyes rolled.  The teen frowned when Pearl remained silent.

            “Fine then, don’t tell me anything, it’s not like I couldn’t handle it anyway,” she grumbled as she slumped against the wall, folding her arms over her chest.

            “She’s dangerous,” Pearl finally spoke up.

            “Really?” Amethyst perked up.  “How dangerous?”

            “Just knowing her is risky, that’s why I’m not going to tell you anything more.  Don’t mention her, don’t ask around about her, or by any means make any sort of contact with her _if_ you see her.”

            “Well then how do you know her?”

            Pearl looked off to the side and inhaled smoke from her cigarette.  “I didn’t live the most respectable life before I moved here.”

            “You still don’t live the most respectable life here,” Amethyst teased.

            That got a brief laugh out of the thin woman.

            “Trust me on this one ok?” Pearl tried with a smile.

            Amethyst frowned slightly.  “Trust you like how I trusted you on what you told me about G?”

            “What do you mean by that?”

            “G-man and I talked you know.  After you told me about the stuff she ‘did’, I threw it back on her the next time she spoke to me.”  Amethyst looked at the ground.  “And then she told me why she was a cop.  She told me about her friend’s death and her mistreatment by the police when she was my age, and why she tried to understand instead of assume.  I trust you P, but your story and hers don’t add up.  So who am I supposed to believe?  You, or G?”

            Pearl looked at the ground as she flicked her cigarette butt onto the sidewalk and stomped it out.

            “I was wrong about what I said about Garnet,” Pearl quietly admitted.

            “Then why did you say that stuff?!”

            “I didn’t know I was wrong!”

            “What?”

            “I didn’t!  Not until just recently did I find out that I was wrong.”

            “Are you serious?  The thing that, I’m guessing, caused your breakup, and happened _years_ ago; you didn’t bother finding out the truth until just now?”

            “Look,” Pearl angrily turned away.  “I don’t make the best decisions at times.”

            “You got that right,” Amethyst chuckled.

            The pale woman gritted her teeth as her cheeks flushed with color.

            “Soooo, have you talked to G then yet?  About, you know, you being wrong about her?”

            “No.”

            “Why not?”

            “It’s not exactly easy to just waltz up to her and throw an ‘I’m sorry’ at her.”

            “Have you tried?”

            “No…”

            “Then what are you waiting for!” Amethyst threw her hands into the air.  “Go make up with her and then go make-out with her.”

            “Stop trying to push us back together, it’s not going to work.”

            “Why not?  Maybe if you two talked it would help.”

            “It’s more complicated than that.”

            Amethyst rolled her violet eyes.  “You know what, P?”

            “What…” Pearl replied with dread.

            “You’re too wound up, we need to get you out and have some fun.  No more cereal killers, no more G drama, let’s go have some good wholesome fun!  You’ve been way too stiff these past couple of weeks,” the teen stated as she grabbed Pearl’s arm and ran off dragging the tall woman along.

            “Amethyst!”

 

            Loud music blared through the speakers as a red 1971 Mustang Mach 1 zoomed down the empty roads.  Amethyst cheered as Pearl shifted to the next gear and accelerated.  The pale woman grinned as they came up to an empty parking lot with the muscle car roaring loudly.  Pearl spun the wheel and pushed the pedals to perform several consecutive doughnuts.  Wind whipped through their hair from the open windows.  The Mustang circled the lot, narrowly avoiding light poles and spinning in circles.  Pearl accelerated again and shot out of the parking area, heading towards the more rural highways.

            “This is exactly what I was talking about!” Amethyst shouted over the noise of the engine, the music, and wind.  “You really did need to let loose.”

            Pearl smirked and gave a triumphant chuckle.  “This isn’t anything!  You should have seen me on some of my get away drives!”

            “I’m glad my older sister let me borrow her car.  But no scratches ok?  Otherwise she’ll kill me.”

            “Not a scratch.  Got it,” Pearl winked.

            “Wooooohoooooo!” the teen cheered as they zoomed through the weaving road.

            The pale woman stuck her elbow out the window and slowed slightly; simply enjoying the joy ride.  She was, until a set of flashing lights appeared in the rearview mirror.  The two delinquents shared a look of concern.

            “Oh great, the fun police is here,” Amethyst grumbled.

            “My license is expired…” Pearl gulped.

            “What?!  What do we do?  When they pull you over, you’re going to be in big trouble.”

            Pearl’s eyebrows were drawn together in determination.  “That’s _if_ they pull me over,” she stated before she shifted gears and hit the gas; a mischievous glint in her eyes.

            Amethyst’s eyes widened at first.  “Alright!  Go P!”

            The distance between the cars steadily increased as Pearl pushed the car to its limits.  They drifted around a sharp corner and sped on.  Pearl’s sharp eyes caught sight of a large billboard set low to the ground.  With a fast pivot and a quick shift into reverse, the Mustang was parked behind the billboard and turned off before the police car made the corner and continued to chase after their target.  Amethyst and Pearl both let out a breath they didn’t know they had been holding.  The teen began to chuckle, then was engulfed by uncontrollable laughter.  Pearl caught on the contagious sound and joined in, letting herself laugh heartily for the first time in ages.  Amethyst wiped away her tears and sighed.

            “We need to do this more often,” the silver-haired teen decided.

            “I wouldn’t mind a joy ride now and then.  Feels good to do something satisfying like that again.  Running from the cops always had a certain level of adrenaline rush.”

            “Is that why you two broke up?  She was a cop and you were a criminal?” Amethyst interjected.

            Pearl breathed out, closing her eyes briefly.  “Yes.  We ran into each other.  I was part of the gang, and Garnet was part of the police squad that was busting us.”

            “Yeesh, that probably was a nasty shock.”

            The thin woman bitterly laughed.  “Yeah, it was.”

            “So she locked you up and then you moved here and then she was transferred?”

            “Oh, I never went to jail.”

            “What?!”

            “I…escaped…then moved to Beach City.  She let me go.”

            “Well…”

            The two sat there in slightly awkward silence.  Pearl was about to turn the car on and head back home when bright lights flashed right into their vision, temporarily blinding them both.

            “THIS IS THE POLICE!  COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!”

            “Shit,” Amethyst grimaced.

            “Fuck,” Pearl smacked her head against the steering wheel, almost hitting the horn.

            “COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR YOU CRIMINALOS!”

            The two delinquents got out and raised their hands into the air.  An imposing shadow steadily moved towards them, coming to seal their fate for driving recklessly and for probably disturbing the cows and local wildlife.  Pearl lowered her hands as she noticed that the figure was becoming smaller and smaller as they neared them.

            “KEEP YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR YOU SCUMBAGOS!”

            Amethyst’s mouth dropped open in surprise.  Officer Lazuli stood before them with a megaphone in her hand and a tiny smirk on her face.

            “Is there a problem here Officer?” Pearl asked.  “We were just sitting in our car.”

            “YOU SURE ABOUT THAT?” Lapis spoke through the megaphone with her mostly expressionless face.

            “Yes,” Pearl answered with some hesitation.

            “AND YOU THINK I’LL BELIEVE THAT THERE WERE TWO MUSTANGS GOING ON JOY RIDES UP IN THESE ROADS?”

            “Well,” the pale woman pressed her palms together.  “Do the license plate numbers match?”

            “SADLY I DID NOT CATCH THE LICENSE PLATE.  TURNS OUT THEY WERE DRIVING TOO FAST FOR ME TO SEE.  I ENCOURAGE YOU TO EXERCISE CAUTION ON THESE ROADS, WE DON’T WANT ANYONE TO GET HURT.”

            “Yes, thank you Officer Lazuli for that warning, we will be careful on our way back home.”

            “GOOD.  NIGHT FELLOW CITIZENS OF BEACH CITYO.”

            With that Officer Lazuli turned off the megaphone, gave them a wave and a wink, and then stepped back into her police car.  Amethyst and Pearl watched the car drive off.  They exchanged a glance.

            “I was not expecting that,” Amethyst admitted as they got back into the car, her voice slightly shaken.  “I thought it was Jasper or Sugilite coming to bust our asses.”

            “At least it wasn’t Garnet,” Pearl added as she began to carefully drive back towards Beach City.  “I could have dealt with any of those other cops just as well, just not her.”

            “Why?  Can’t stop thinking about doing a little cops and robbers role play with G-man when she’s talking to you?” Amethyst cheekily responded.

            “AMETHYST!”

            The teen’s laughter echoed through the night as the Mustang made its way towards the city.

 

            Pearl sat reclined in the metal chair with both her arms and legs crossed as she glared at the sandy haired captain sitting down across from her.

            “Why am I in an interrogation room Jasper?” the pale woman growled.

            “This isn’t an interrogation room, it’s a room for honest and open communication.”

            Pearl rolled her light blue eyes.

            “Get to the point.  I could be out enjoying my evening right now instead of being in here.”

            Amber eyes held hers with a level gaze.  “I want to make sure that I have all loose ends tied up in regards to our little meth issue.”

            “So why am I here?  Why aren’t you talking to Garnet or Amethyst?”

            Jasper hummed.  “As a meth cook I’m sure you can understand why I am checking in on you.  I want to make certain that you were not involved.”

            “Meth cook?  Me?  Where the fuck did you get such a ridiculous accusation?”

            Captain Green leaned back and folded her muscular arms.  “Officer Bailey told me.”

            “WHAT?” Pearl shot to her feet.  “How could she-!  I should have never- Argh!”

            “She didn’t tell me directly, but she did tell me that she was getting a professional opinion on the meth that was found.  I went back and reviewed her chest camera film and found that she talked to you of all people.”

            The pale woman’s mouth hung open.

            “Now.  I am going to ask you a number of questions.  It’s in your best interest to answer them truthfully, because I will be remembering this conversation.”

            Pearl sat down in her chair and resumed glaring at the sandy haired woman.

            “Are you a meth cook?”

            “No.”

            Jasper growled.  “ _Were_ you a meth cook?”

            “Who says I was?  I want to see the film,” Pearl protested.

            “That’s confidential, you can’t just view police files.”

            “I sure can.  Especially if you’re trying to accuse me of something based off what was seen on those tapes.”

            The captain frowned.  She got up and left the room.  Pearl huffed and tilted her chair back.  Several minutes later Jasper entered with a laptop in her hands.  She set it up and played the whole conversation between Garnet and Pearl that night a few weeks ago.

            “Please explain how this does not prove that you were a meth cook.”

            “There are many reasons why someone could know the purity of a substance,” Pearl countered.  “Did you even bother looking up any information on me and finding out that I have a degree in chemistry?”

            “That doesn’t explain why you said that you had equipment that you used to test this stuff.  I’m sure a meth cook with a degree in chemistry would want to ensure what they are making is turning out right.”

            Pearl pursed her lips and remained silent for the moment.  “So if I was this supposed former meth cook.  Why are you bringing me in and questioning me?  The case was closed from what I heard.”

            “I want to make sure that all loose ends are tied up and that you’re not doing any funny business on the side.”

            “I’m a mechanic for the local shop and in my spare time I try to antagonize the local population as much as possible by loitering around their establishments.  I am not cooking meth on the side, nor would I want to.”

            Amber eyes narrowed for a moment before the muscular woman nodded.  “And you don’t know of any others who might be doing any of this kind of business around here?  I don’t want any trouble in my city.”

            “No I don’t.”

            Jasper hummed.  “Fine.  Thanks for providing that information.  I’ll let you go, but know that I am going to keep an eye on you.”

            “As if that is new,” Pearl rolled her eyes.  “Can I go now?  You’ve wasted enough of my precious loitering time already.”

            White teeth were bared in a grimace as Jasper stood up, opened the door, and motioned for Pearl to go through.  The pale woman walked through and moved to exit the station as quickly as possible.  As she walked through the door she bumped into one of the incoming officers.

            “Get the fuck out of…” the pale woman’s words trailed off as she looked up to see herself reflected in Officer Bailey’s sunglasses.

            “Shit, sorry,” she quickly apologized as she stepped to the side.

            Garnet regarded her with an expressionless and silent response before she walked into the police station.  Pearl breathed out a sigh of relief as the door closed.  She shoved her hands into her pockets and headed off towards the boardwalk.

 

            Life resumed its boring routine days after Pearl’s nerve-racking experience with Yellow Diamond and surprise interrogation by Jasper.  She spent the following Saturday afternoon with Steven, helping him and Connie to build yet another sandcastle.  It was a surprisingly warm day considering that fall was in full swing and winter was just around the corner.  Greg arrived to provide lunch and drinks for all four of them.  They in turn decided to bury him in the sand while he napped.  It had been a relaxing time until Steven had called over Garnet who had been passing by on her day off.  Pearl watched in surprise as Garnet spoke with him and even smiled as he showed her the sleeping buried Greg and the in-progress sandcastle.  Steven then recruited the dark woman to help Pearl in building the sandcastle by stuffing the buckets full of sand and giving them to her for placement.  Much to Pearl’s chagrin, Garnet accepted and was pulled to sit down next to the nervous woman.  Connie informed the two that their work was essential to the survival of most likely the last sandcastle of the year so they must put forth their best efforts.  She would be overseeing their work while providing managerial and auxiliary help.

            Pearl and Garnet worked silently side by side, until Pearl explained with slight frustration that Garnet needed to put more dry sand into her bucket mixtures otherwise the sand castle would just turn into mush.  The curly haired woman gave no response, but did as Pearl asked.  It wasn’t long before Amethyst joined in, throwing an exciting mix into the group work.  At first she tried to “sabotage” the castle building, but Garnet stood to defend their base.  The two playfully sparred for a bit leaving Connie and Pearl to work on the sandcastle.  The silver haired teen then begged for mercy as Garnet had her pinned face first into the beach.  She requested being buried for her traitorous acts instead of being banished.  Connie and Steven quickly agreed and laid her to rest right nearby where Greg was still sleeping.  The dark woman resumed helping Pearl with the sandcastle.  With the few last buckets carefully placed, Steven and Connie declared that the castle was complete and that they had done a fantastic job.  They all sat back and watched as the tide rolled in; the waves slowly breaking down all of their hard work.  Connie kept meticulous notes.  Pearl looked to her side to stare at Garnet sitting on the sand gazing out into the ocean.  The pale woman’s heart hurt for a moment.  A few years ago it would have been natural for her to be leaning against the beautiful woman and pressing a soft kiss against her full lips.  However, she sat on the other side of the castle, not daring to move any closer to the woman.  Pearl looked down and played with the grains of dirt and glass.  She needed to talk to Garnet; apologize or even just say something in regards to her false accusations.  The pale woman glanced back up at the curly haired woman and swallowed heavily.  Before, she could always tell when Garnet would catch her staring at her from the side, but with the sunglasses Pearl had no idea if she had even been caught.  Any attempts at communication were cut off as Garnet stood and thanked Steven and Connie for inviting her over to help build the sandcastle.  She then bade farewell to everyone except Pearl.  Pearl gripped her jeans; it was surprising how much being omitted had stung.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we've reached the end of the teen chapters. The next chapter will most certainly heat up. I know you guys are probably frustrated at the lack of Pearl and Garnet interaction right now, but I promise much more is to come.


	20. Fire That Burns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's time for things to get interesting. :) Also, there is some awesome fanart that has been drawn for this fic by two of my awesome readers!
> 
> The first is from Aldecaalfi who did some fun drawings and can be found in this story http://archiveofourown.org/works/9838136
> 
> The second is from Weirdlyprecious who did an amazing shot of our beloved police officers which can be viewed here http://weirdlyprecious.tumblr.com/post/158875983208/buff-buff-buff-lapis-from-smoke-and-grit-to

^^^^^^

Fires Burn.

^^^^^^

 

            Pearl came to the conclusion that she was going to get fired.  There had been a number of times when Mr. Mechanic had “fired” her for being unreliable in her work hours, but she would always show up the next day and help out when he was swamped with work.  However, this time Pearl was certain that she was fired.  The main clue being that the whole car mechanic shop was literally engulfed in flames.  A huff was pushed past thin lips.  Pearl took out a cigarette and lit it using one of the red, dancing elements of destruction nearby.  She sat down on the synthetic leather seat in the small office, one of the few areas not completely covered in fire, as she examined her situation.  There was a rule against smoking inside the shop, but Pearl figured that was a moot point by now.  White vapor joined the black smoke billowing into the afternoon sky.  The pale woman grimaced.  It really was a greasy shop, no wonder why the fire spread so quickly.  Not that she had started it, she actually had no idea how things went up in flames.  Pearl had just walked into the office after organizing some of their supplies and had begun to record their inventory, when she felt the increased heat pushing against her back.  In moments, all of the walls were a bright orange and she was in no position to easily escape.

            Ears perked up as she heard sirens wailing through the air.  They would be able to get to her in time!  Pearl listened as best as she could, but the voices and sounds of water hoses were not directed towards the mechanic shop.  It was a small shop so she would have heard or noticed any water dousing the growing flames.

            “It’s spreading!  Keep it contained!  Watch the other places!”

            _Oh…_

There was more than one place on fire.  Considering her neighbors usually had more customers or more flammable merchandise, she could understand why the efforts were being directed towards the other places.

            “What about the mechanic shop?”

            “We don’t have enough hoses!”

            “Get that one contained and then we can focus on it.  Mr. O’Reilly’s car isn’t there so there’s no one in danger inside!”

            Pearl breathed out a puff of smoke and scooted the chair away from the red and yellow fingers creeping towards her right side.  Her reputation of leaving work early came full circle and bit her in the ass.

            _So much for staying at work while my boss ran some errands…_

Sweat trickled down her front and back.  It was getting uncomfortably hot and before long the old structure was going to start falling down.  The pale woman tried to call out to the busy firemen to let them know she was there, but she couldn’t find the motivation to, the words caught in her throat.  Pearl coughed.  Who would care if she died?  She was an annoyance, selfish, and immature.  Dull eyes stared out at the scene, a bitter laugh escaping.  How fitting was it that she was going to die just like her family did?  Burned to a crisp.  Light blue eyes closed tightly as buried memories began to flash by in her mind’s eye.  Screaming houses lit on fire.  Black skeletons of charred wood and destroyed homes.  Glass shattering under the intense heat.  Smoke painting the sky black and choking anyone nearby.  Shriveled corpses, twisted and burnt beyond recognition.  Pearl gritted her teeth and forced her eyes open.  There was still a chance, she could find a way out.  She strained her ears to possibly catch if the firemen were able to help the shop just yet, but the commotion and the many intense voices outside informed her that no one could spare the time or would even think that she might be in here.  Pearl took one last hopeful glance at the office doors that lead out, but they were covered in fire, slowly warping and welding shut.  Salty tears carved lines into her soot covered face.  She couldn’t see a way out, there was too much fire everywhere.  The pale woman bowed her head in defeat, accepting her blistering fate.

            The loud rattling of the overhead, rolling, aluminum door being struck made Pearl jerk her head up.  When Mr. Mechanic had left to run his errands, he had shut it, but now someone was using an axe to chop their way in.  Pearl stared, mesmerized as she watched the sharp wedge of steel cut through the cheap door with some difficulty.  When a big enough section was cut, a fireman’s boot kicked it in, violently bending the cut section down to make an entrance.  Thin eyebrows furrowed for a moment as she noticed that the fireman wasn’t wearing all of their equipment, but more or less had haphazardly put on some of the basics.  Pearl’s breath was caught in her throat as she saw the furious flames dancing in reflective sunglasses and the police officer’s uniform underneath the open fireman’s jacket.  A pathetic sob escaped her mouth.  Of course it was Garnet.  The strong woman walked through the flames as if they were nothing, the hands of white fire grasping uselessly against her protection.  A beam fell from the ceiling above, crashing a few feet away from Pearl’s left side.  Too close for comfort.  Garnet silently took off her jacket and wrapped it around the soot-covered woman’s shoulders.  Firm arms picked her up and carried her bridal style towards the opening cut into the rolling metal door.  Pearl grasped onto the front of Officer Bailey’s shirt as she curled into the woman; unintentionally wiping her tears away with the dark blue uniform.  The scent of sweat, smoke, and Old Spice wafted into her nostrils.  For that brief moment that combination was oddly calming.

            Cool air wrapped around her, bringing the much needed relief from the unbearable heat.  Garnet let out a heavy exhale and breathed back in normally.  Pearl opened her eyes and glanced around to see a multitude of flashing lights, flames, and emergency personnel running about.

            “Officer Bailey!  What the fuck were you doing?” Captain Green’s voice cut through the madness.  “Quit going rogue on me!  Why didn’t you bring back up?  Or at least inform someone that you were going to pull a dangerous stunt like that!”

            “I’m taking this one to get oxygen,” came Garnet’s deep accented response.

            “We are going to talk about this!  You need to follow protocol!”

            “Later.”

            “Fine!”

            Pearl watched the muscular woman stomp off.  Garnet stopped at one of the fire engines and gently sat the thin woman down on the wide bumper.  The officer stepped away for a moment and came back with a small oxygen tank and a mask connected to it.  Pearl accepted the offered mask and breathed in, coughing a few times as the pure oxygen hit her ash-filled lungs.  Garnet silently stood by, either watching over her or scanning the crowds, the strawberry blonde couldn’t tell.  All she knew was that she was alive because of that beautiful woman.

            “Thank you,” Pearl coughed out.

            Reflective shades were turned directly at her.  “Just doin’ my job.”

            Pearl nodded, blinking rapidly to push the last of her tears down her cheeks.

            “PEARL!!” a familiar voice called out.

            The thin woman was immediately engulfed by a bone crushing hug.

            “I’m so glad you’re safe!” Steven cried out, tears forming in the corners of his eyes as he looked up at her.

            Pearl couldn’t help but smile in return as she held him back.

            “Yoooo P!” Amethyst came rushing up.  “Woah man!” she glanced back at the mechanic shop that was engulfed in the hot element.  “I know you were sick of working there, but don’t you think that’s a bit extreme?” she teased.

            “Amethyst!” Steven admonished.  “Pearl wouldn’t do that!”

            The pale woman gave an appreciative laugh.

            “Aww, don’t worry little man, I’m just kidding,” the silver haired teen smirked as she ruffled Steven’s black curls.  “Pearl wouldn’t do that, she needs the money for rent.”

            “You do?” Steven turned back to face Pearl, still holding onto her.

            “I’ll figure something out, don’t worry,” she tried to reassure.

            “I’m going to get a paramedic to take a look at you Ms. Meyers.  Are you going to be ok if I leave for the moment?” Officer Bailey spoke up as she stepped toward the group.

            “Oh…um, yeah, go ahead, though if they try to take me to the hospital I’m going to refuse.”

            “I understand,” Officer Bailey nodded as she began to walk away.

            “Hey wait!” Amethyst called out.  “P, don’t cha have something to say to Officer G?” she nudged the thin woman.

            “What?” Pearl glared at her.

            “You know for saving you?” the teen stated obviously.

            “I already said ‘thank you’.”

            “Don’t you think you should ‘thank’ her properly?” Amethyst said with a wink.

            Pearl felt her cheeks heat up.

            “That is not necessary,” Garnet quickly cut in.  “Besides, she should be thanking the two of you.  Steven brought to my attention that he hadn’t seen Pearl today, and you mentioned that Pearl had been staying at work full time lately.”

            “Yeah but you busted in and brought her out!” Steven piped up.

            “Carrying her bridal-style and all,” Amethyst grinned.

            “It wasn’t safe for her to walk on the floor, the flames would have burned her,” Officer Bailey frowned as she folded her arms defensively across her chest.

            “Do you need any oxygen?” Pearl offered the tank and mask to Garnet.

            “No need,” the officer put her hand up.  “I held my breath.”

            “You held your breath the whole time?!” Steven gasped.

            Garnet smirked.  “I did.  I am a really good swimmer.”

            “That’s awesome!”

            “Now, I’ll be back with a paramedic, you two keep an eye on Ms. Meyers, ok?”

            “Yes Ma’am!” Steven and Amethyst saluted.

            Once Officer Bailey had walked away, the silver haired teen turned to look at Pearl with a shit-eating grin.

            “What?” Pearl asked with exasperation.

            “Very sneaky, trying to share your mask with Officer G.”

            Pearl blushed.  “I didn’t offer it in that sense!  I just thought she might want to clear out her lungs too.”

            “Yeah right,” violet eyes rolled.

            “What happened Pearl?  How did your place catch on fire?” Steven asked.

            “I don’t know what happened actually or how the fire got started.  I turned my back and suddenly everything was burning.”  The pale woman looked around at the four other buildings in their strip of businesses.  “Or how any of these started.”  She frowned.  “Fires aren’t common here are they?  I don’t remember seeing any since I moved here.”

            “No, they are not common,” Amethyst said with a serious tone.  “And for this many places to go up at once; that’s not normal.”

            Officer Bailey arrived with a paramedic moments later.  They asked Pearl a number of questions and checked her over for any burns or any other injuries.  The curly haired cop walked away, most likely to go help the others in putting out the remaining fires.  Amethyst and Steven stayed with her, keeping her company until Jasper asked them to leave so she could get a statement from the pale woman.  Mr. Mechanic made his way over to check on her.  Initially he ranted about everything going up in flames while she was in the shop, but eventually expressed his relief that she had made it out alive and without any major injuries.  Pearl relayed the events from her point of view to him, reiterating that she did not start the fire.  Mr. Mechanic easily accepted her story with a nod.

            By the time all of the fires had been put out, only the outer charred walls and supports remained of the mechanic shop.  Unlike the other places that were mostly damaged on the outside, the shop had been effectively burned to a crisp.  Mr. Mechanic sighed and shook his head.  It would take a while to process the insurance claims and get new tools so he could effectively open up his business again.  He promised Pearl that he would be able to pay her for the two days she worked this pay period and would have a position for her once things got back up and running, but for now she was out of a job.  The pale woman nodded in understanding and offered to help salvage or clean things up.  Mr. Mechanic said he would inform her when they would be able to do that; for now everything was going to be roped off as the police began their investigation.

            Pearl sighed as she looked up at the evening sky.  She had at least two weeks to come up with the rest of her rent money otherwise she was going to get kicked out.  Light blue eyes traveled over to where the mechanic shop was fenced off with police line.  Inside she could see three officers walking through the ashes trying to figure out the cause of the fire.  The pale woman shook her head.  Her life was a mess, but she was still alive and there were people who cared about her.  She would be able to make it through this.

 

            Garnet paced through the remains of the mechanic shop' followed somewhat by Officer Lazuli who was carrying around a water gun.  So far they had figured that the fire had started inside the mechanic shop and then spread quickly down the line of businesses.  Four establishments being affected in total.  A frown pulled at the corner of her thick lips.  She wanted to see how the fires started, but no one had caught a picture or videotaped it.  The lack of nearby traffic cams and security cameras in general made it even harder to see how it all started.  One of the downsides of a city with less crime.  Garnet huffed as she crouched down to examine the baseboards.  A random puddle of melted plastic, warped tools, and charred wood were all there was to see.  While it would be easy to assume this was just an accident and that one of the many flammable liquids in the shop could have easily caught a spark, Pearl would have noticed a small fire and would have been able to put it out.  The way the woman described the timing, to Garnet, it sounded a lot more like arson.  The curly haired cop rubbed her eyes under her sunglasses.  Then again, she could be being paranoid.  She stood up and walked around again, examining the areas where the walls met the floor.  Pearl said she was in the office when she felt the heat and saw everything on fire.  Booted feet paced over to the warped remains of the office chair.  For a moment the image of a sooty, tear-stained Pearl surrounded with fire replaced the warped office chair.  The dark cop furrowed her eyebrows; refocusing.  Before Pearl had stepped into the office, she had been taking inventory.  Garnet spun around and looked at the shop from Pearl’s vantage point.  Lapis unceremoniously squirted something with her water gun and claimed that it was still smoking when Captain Green demanded an explanation for her unprofessional actions.  There were shelving and storage areas all around the small mechanic shop, so Pearl would have been walking around at a slow pace before moving to the office.  Garnet knew Pearl was quick with her mind, but she was also thorough.

            _How does a shop go from completely fine to up in flames in a matter of minutes?  Seconds?_

The curly haired officer shook her head and stepped out.  She wanted to look at the other places that had caught on fire.  Three shops, all with the fires starting on the outside.  Garnet picked up some ashes and tossed them into the air.  The light breeze carried the black specks down the street, the same direction the fire had traveled.  Covered eyes examined the buildings and their burn marks.  She shook her head again.  There was something missing, something obvious.  Steadily Garnet made her way to the last building in the row of four.  Only the edges close to the third one had barely caught fire.  Dark trails where the fire had been, ran up the corners and along the base of the building.  Large hands rubbed her face in frustration, she wasn’t going to figure this out and they were losing daylight fast.

            “Get your ass back over here Bailey!  We are having a quick meeting before calling it a night.” Jasper shouted at her.

            Garnet grumbled and reluctantly walked back to the burnt shop.

            “Alright, return and report.  Any ideas?  Things you’ve noticed?” Jasper addressed the group, her hands posted on her hips.

            “The shop wasn’t very organized, there were random things all over the place,” Officer Lazuli stated.  “Perhaps there was an electric cord running through one of the many oils or chemicals that caught fire.”

            “Ok, messy, potential accidental fire.  Bailey?”

            Garnet hummed as she debated expressing her gut feeling.  “Arson.”

            “And Bailey with the conspiracy theory as usual.  Pearl already stated that she didn’t do it.”

            “Not Pearl.”

            “Who then?”

            “I don’t know…” Garnet trailed off.

            “Well do you have anything useful to add?”

            The dark cop shook her head.

            Jasper sighed.  “Alright.  Let’s regroup back at the station, see if anyone has reported any pictures, video, or if there is anything that got a visual.”

 

            Later that night, Garnet shifted once again in her bed.  Two minutes later, she rotated once more.  With an aggravated grunt, the dark woman threw off her sheets and got up.  Clad in flannel pajama pants and a white t-shirt, Garnet walked through her house, not bothering to turn on any lights.  Her athletic body flopped onto the couch, attempting to try and find sleep there.  Garnet grunted in frustration as she just stared up at the ceiling.  She was missing something, something important in regards to the fire.  A large cushion was pressed against her face.  She needed to sleep in order to have enough rest to think correctly.  Eyes were forced shut and deep even breaths were taken.  Eventually her mind would shut off.

 

            The second day of investigating the fire went as well as the first, along with the third, and the fourth.  Officer Bailey wanted to scream out in frustration as she sat on the other side of the street staring at all four of the burnt buildings at once.  Two of the four had already been cleaned up a bit, their fresh exteriors breaking the pattern of destruction.  Garnet stood up and walked over to the last building once again, examining the marks running along the base of the house and up the back-left corner.  The officer blinked.

            _I’ve seen this before.  Haven’t I?_

On the first day she had, but at the front-left corner of the shop; the side of the place that was currently being repaired.  It was oddly similar, and strange.  Covered eyes examined the ground by the two shops.  Yes the two buildings were close together, but there was still a good six feet between them.  The burn marks on the buildings suggested that the fire traveled across the ground and up the next building instead of jumping from one roof top to another.  However, there were no ashy trails on the concrete between the two shops, just a shadow around each building where the fire had burned.  Officer Bailey walked around the third shop and examined the ground between the third and the second.  Once again, no path on the ground from the fire, just shadows around the buildings with the deepest scorch marks running up the corners and along the base.  It was possible for the flames to have jumped the ground and latched on the nearby buildings, however it didn’t seem likely given the reported time frames and volume of flames on each place.

            _Wait…_

With a few quick strides Garnet was staring at all four shops from across the street once again.  There was a pattern.  Out and up, out and up.  The pacing for the pattern stretched out as it moved down the line of businesses, but it was there, too even to be just a traveling flame.  Garnet pulled out a piece of paper and quickly drew the pattern she was seeing.  The mechanic shop had four instances of the out and up, the suitcase shop had three, the next one two, and the final one had just the leftmost corner affected.  If Garnet’s assumption was correct, the arsonist made it look like the fire had traveled quickly, when in fact it had been manufactured.  The areas to take a closer look at should be the spots where the up and out burn pattern were the most visible.  Officer Bailey returned to the last shop again.  Something had to start the fire.  A booted foot scooted a large trash bag to the side as she examined the corner.  No one reported hearing any explosions.  Covered eyes caught sight of a puddle of melted plastic on the concrete, right at the corner of the building.  Garnet frowned as she crouched down and took a picture of it.  It was in the ideal spot, the out and up marks started right there.  She tried to grab and pick it up, but it was slightly molded to the ground.  After acquiring a putty blade, the curly haired officer was able to scrape the disk of charred plastic off the ground and place it in an evidence bag.  Searching through the debris yielded four other disks of plastic, two from the mechanic shop, and two from the second shop where it hadn’t been cleaned up yet.  Each one was a similar color, and relatively similar mass.  They were about a half an inch thick and about two inches in diameter.  Most importantly they were all located in spots that had deep burn marks running out and up.

            “So!” Jasper’s voice boomed behind her, making her jump slightly.  “What have you been digging up Bailey?”

            “Just suspicious pieces.  Kinda thought it was odd that the same plastic was located in the scorched corners of three of the four shops,” Officer Bailey briefly explained as she pulled one disk out and showed it to Captain Green.

            The older cop frowned as she handled the suspicious piece.  “Still going on your arson hunch?”

            Garnet stiffened.  “It’s seems more plausible than just an accident that managed to set four places on fire in minutes,” she stated defensively.

            Amber eyes stared down at her, narrowing slightly.  “I’m not saying you’re wrong Bailey.  However, we have been looking through this mess and have yet to find any sort of device that could have been used to set off the fire.  No unusual people were reported creeping about the time of the fires, and these are just disks of plastic probably from some household cleaner that most people have.”

            The dark cop gritted her teeth.

            “But,” Jasper held up her finger before Garnet could retort.  “We are no closer to determining the source of the accidental fire either.  I’ll let you continue to pursue your hunch.  I don’t want you to be secretly working behind my back, because I know you probably will and I’ll be dammed if I don’t let an experienced cop like you take a different look at things.  You did good work with that meth cook,” the captain finished.

            “Thank you,” Garnet smirked as she took back the evidence.  “I’ll search around a bit more, but then I’m going to see if I can figure out what these are made of.”

            “Good luck,” Jasper tipped her hat.

            “You too Captain.”

            While the support from her superior had been a nice change of events, the information she got back from forensics was less than helpful.  More or less they just confirmed that all of the disks of plastic were made from the same material, easily melted, and probably had similar masses prior to melting.  As the sun was setting, the dark woman heavily considered the chance that speaking with Pearl would help her out.  A long breath was let out before Garnet stood up and walked out the station doors.  She sincerely hoped they could have one civil conversation.

            Finding Pearl had taken longer than expected.  The woman was out and about talking with various shop owners on the boardwalk.  Garnet approached the pale woman just as she was stomping around Funland arcade.

            “Ms. Meyers,” Officer Bailey called her attention.  “May I speak to you for a moment?”

            “Oh for fucks sake I don’t want to deal with you riding my ass too!  Look!  I didn’t do it!  I didn’t set the damn shop on fire!  Was I a lazy and irresponsible employee?  Yes.  Did I burn it down?  NO!” Pearl fired back.

            Garnet internally grumbled as the possibility of the civil conversation grew wings and flew south for the winter.

            “I’m not here to ask you if you set it off, I am here to ask you about the timing of the fire.”

            “Oh…” Pearl breathed out.  “Sorry, I’ve been stressed out lately.  What was it you wanted to know about?  The timing?  What for?”

            “Well from what you briefly described, you turned your back and then everything was suddenly on fire.  Even accidental fires have a small window where it grows before getting out of control.  How long was it between when you were last facing the main shop, and when you felt the heat?”

            “Two minutes, maybe three?  It was very brief.  I know it sounds ridiculous, but literally all of the walls were on fire, even the ones by the office.  Which is why I didn’t try to escape, there was no clear or safe route out,” Pearl waved her hands about as she spoke.

            “Three minutes?” Garnet murmured.  “Did you smell anything unusual?  Gas possibly?”

            “I work in a mechanic shop, Garnet, everything smells like gas, oil, or metal.  If there was I certainly didn’t notice it.”

            The curly haired officer nodded, after realizing the obvious answer to her question.

            “So what is your take on the whole ordeal?” Pearl directed towards her.

            Officer Bailey chewed on her thoughts for a moment.  “I don’t think the fire was an accident.”

            “You think it was arson?  What for?  Mr. Mechanic fixes everyone’s cars in town, the suitcase shop and other places have no ill will towards them that I am aware of.  Do you think someone is just doing it for shits and giggles?”

            “No, I think it was intentional, and made to look like the fire just spread quickly.  However, I lack any real evidence at the time and have only a hunch for the potential target of the fires.”

            “Oh yeah?  Who do you think they were trying to kill?”

            “Well…” Garnet paused.  “Do you have any enemies that might be lingering from before?”

            Pearl stared at her for a full minute.  Slowly the dark woman could see the gears turning in the thin woman’s head.

            “Not really.  I wasn’t widely identified, well except for any old Dumpster Jumper members.  But they would have no reason to seek me out and cause trouble.  Everyone else I interacted with were allies, people we did business with.”

            Garnet breathed out a small sigh of relief.  “Well, think on my questions.  If you remember any more details, please let us know.  We would like to get to the bottom of the issue as soon as possible.”

            The cop turned to leave.

            “Wait!” Pearl called out.

            Officer Bailey looked over her shoulder, eyebrows furrowing behind her sunglasses.

            The pale woman stared at the concrete as she fidgeted with her hands.  “Thank you for saving me from the fire.  I…I didn’t think anyone was going to notice, or care…”

            Garnet faced Pearl.  “I was just doing my job.  Steven and Amethyst provided information that led to me checking to see if you were in there or not.”

            “You didn’t even know if I was in there?  You went in on a gamble?”

            “Yes,” the dark woman stated stiffly.

            “Why?”

            “Why?”

            “Why would you put yourself at risk for my sake?  Don’t you hate me?  Of all the people here in Beach City you are the one with the least obligation to do anything for me.”

            Garnet stared at the ocean.  “Being burned to death is not a fate I would wish on many people.”

            “How could I not be one of those?”  Pearl shouted.  “After everything I did to you!  You should hate me!”

            A covered eyebrow was raised up at Pearl’s words.  The pale woman was acknowledging what she did to Garnet.

            “I don’t hate you, Pearl,” Garnet said quietly.

            “What?” the thin woman was genuinely surprised.  “But…I thought you…”

            “Yeah, I thought I did too, but that’s evidently not the case,” the curly haired woman painfully admitted.

            The two stood there in silence for a few moments.  Pearl opened her mouth to speak, but closed it.  Garnet decided that she was done with the conversation, so she turned and left without another word.  She did think she hated the pale woman, but part of her still cared enough to go storming into a burning building to check and see if Pearl was there or not.

            _I was just doing my job.  She should be thanking Amethyst and Steven._

            Investigating the disks of plastic was pushed to the side as Garnet was called to help out with checking through the other three stores and any possible motives or suspects.  Since the progress on the case had come to a standstill, Captain Green asked for one more week to examine the shop before Mr. O’Reilly got to work on having his place cleaned up and rebuilt.  His insurance claims were on hold until the police came to a conclusion, so he conceded on giving them the extra time, while informing them that he intended to get to work soon with or without the insurance help.  The dark officer sighed heavily as she walked into her house after another long day at work.  No logical motives, no suspects without alibis, no evidence besides ashes, they had to be missing something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three guesses on who set the shop on fire. Lol. Strap in your seat belts, we are in for one bumpy ride!


	21. Running Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pearl struggles more as she is without a job. Contact and conversations with Garnet are inevitable. Also I drew something for this chapter. See the bottom notes for the link!

^^^^^^

Pearl runs out of money and time.

^^^^^^

 

            Attempting to acquire a new job to help her out proved to be a far more difficult task than Pearl originally thought it would be.  Sure she expected most to turn her away, but not all of them.  She did work hard and did things correctly, even if her attitude and reputation were against her.  After a week and a half of asking every shop owner if they could take her on until the mechanic shop had been reopened, except for the ones she loitered around the most, Pearl admitted that she had run out of luck.  Past mistakes and poor decisions were now coming back at her.  No one wanted to hire the delinquent who probably set the mechanic shop on fire.  She didn’t blame them, if she had been in their shoes she wouldn’t have hired her either.  A sigh was pushed past thin lips as she stared at the notice taped to the front of her apartment door.  Three days to come up with several hundred dollars.  Pearl scoffed.  She barely had any food in her cupboards and had nothing of worth that could be sold.  Tomorrow she would be getting two days’ worth of pay, and it was at most going to give her enough for food, cigarettes, and phone service for the month.  Brass keys unlocked the door and the thin woman entered her dark apartment.  The warm leather jacket was pulled tightly around herself as she fought off the chill.  Heating cost money she didn’t have.  Feet moved robotically towards her bedroom, dull eyes staring straight ahead.  She could warm up in her blankets, tomorrow she would try again at the job hunt.  As she passed through the small living room her peripheral vision caught an oddity.  Light blue eyes rotated along with her torso.

            “Oh fuck!” she exclaimed as she backed herself up against the wall.

            “Not a very welcoming greeting now is that, Pearl?” Yellow Diamond coolly stated as she leaned back slightly in the metal folding chair that was positioned in the middle of the room.

            The pale woman quickly assessed the situation.  There were four guards, large burly men and women, one located in each corner of the room.  Yellow Diamond’s personal assistant stood a couple feet behind and off to the side of the Drug Lord.  The only light came from the dim setting sunlight filtering in through the window at the back of the room, right behind the powerful woman.  None of them made any movements to turn on any lights.  Pearl tried in vain to calm her pounding heart down.

            “Why are you back?” Pearl said, trying to use annoyance to cover up her terror.

            Long fingers drummed together in front of the black suit jacket as Yellow Diamond regarded her with a knowing smile.

            “I heard of your misfortune, the shop going up in flames and you subsequently being late on your rent.”  The woman glanced towards the door.  “Looks like you don’t have much time left to come up with the money.”

            “And?!  Why does that merit a gracious visit from you?”

            Yellow Diamond leveled her gaze, the smile disappearing.  “You really need to work on your attitude.  I generally don’t take such disrespect, especially from someone who has rejected my offers multiple times.”

            One hand reached into the pocket of the suit jacket to pull out a yellow die with black, diamond shaped markings for the six sides.  Pearl quickly shut her mouth and tensed up.  Yellow Diamond rolled the dice around in her hands a couple of times.

            “I’m here to extend my offer to you one final time.  I can make the arrangements so that you can stay at your lousy apartment, and even get you a forward payment so that you don’t lose it.  You know the terms, you know all that I will ask of you.  You make me what I want and you’ll be able to have what you need and want.  Granted that you manage your finances with more care than you did last time.”

            Pearl forced herself to look away from the Drug Lord.  She could do it, accept it and all her financial issues would disappear.  But then she would be back to what she was five years ago.  A meth cook, a gang member, a pawn.  The pale woman steeled herself and turned back to hold Yellow Diamond’s gaze.

            “Thank you for your generous offer, but like I’ve said before I am not going back to that business.  I appreciate your concern for my well-being, but I can manage it on my own.”

            Yellow eyes briefly glanced down at the die in her hand, rolling it around between her thumb, pointer and middle finger.

            “Are you sure?”

            “Yes.” Pearl stated with a nod, forcing herself to keep eye contact and not look at the yellow die.

            “I see,” the Drug Lord sighed as she casually put the die back into the pocket of the black suit jacket.

            Yellow Diamond stood up and took a step towards Pearl.  One of the guards moved and folded up the metal chair behind her.

            “I wish you the best of luck then, Pearl.”

            “You too,” Pearl said as she tried her best to keep her nervousness out of her tone.

            With a wave of her hand all four guards and the assistant fell into formation behind the commanding woman.  Pearl didn’t let out the breath she had been holding until the front door had been shut and she saw the black SUV drive away.  She collapsed onto the floor shaking with relief.  She was ok though.  She was still alive and still had time to come up with her rent money.  She could do this, she didn’t need to go back to her previous life.  Pearl double-checked that the front door was locked before she crashed on her bed and curled up into her blankets.

 

            “Yellow Diamond, may I ask why we just left her after she showed such disrespect to you?” the nasally voice of Yellow Diamond’s personal assistant asked as the SUV rumbled on towards their destination.

            “I want her alive.  If she is dead she can’t cook,” the Drug Lord simply stated.

            “I understand.”

            “It’s time we made her come to me.  No more of these cordial business offers, I’m done wasting my time.”

            “Shall we make the necessary preparations?”

            A sinister grin spread across the tall woman’s round lips.  “Yes, we shall.”

 

            Two days later Pearl arrived at her apartment door to see it padlocked shut with a notice telling her that the apartment was going to be cleaned out at 7am the coming morning.  The pale woman smacked her head against the door multiple times.  She couldn’t get her belongings or even the food she just recently bought.  Light blue eyes glanced down at the remaining cash in her wallet.  It didn’t matter what she did with it now, she had run out of time.  With that thought, Pearl turned around and headed towards the local bar.  It was thankfully warmer inside the small place, the thin woman shivered lightly as she sat down on one of the barstools and ordered an Apple Knocker Martini.  It was a slow night, there were only a couple of other patrons in the warm place besides herself.  Slowly she sipped on the drink as she tried to forget how hopeless her situation was.  For a moment she contemplated just drinking the rest of her money, but that wouldn’t go well.  The minutes trickled by, steadily turning into hours as she just sat there silently staring at the hard wood of the bar and nursing her drinks.  After the second Apple Knocker, Pearl glanced at the time.  12:19am.  The bar would be closing soon and she needed to find a place to sleep.  Her mind did a quick run through of the options and grimaced as she didn’t really come up with anyone she could go to.

_You could ask Garnet._

            The strawberry blonde smacked her forehead with her hand.  It was a terrible idea.  Yet…she knew where the dark woman lived, and she really didn’t have any other options.  Pearl exhaled heavily.

_I’m going to need another drink if I’m going to face her._

            Pearl was about to signal the bartender over, but stopped.

_No I need my wits about me if I’m going to be asking to crash at her place._

            The pale woman signaled the bartender over and closed her tab.  She stood up, wobbling slightly, and began the long, frigid walk towards Garnet’s home.

            Around a half of an hour later she nervously stepped up the three stairs of the porch and stopped in front of the door.  Most likely her ex was asleep, so she needed to be loud.  Pearl inhaled and held her breath as she pounded on the door several times.  For a couple of agonizing moments she just stood there doing her best to not turn and run.

_She’s going to be mad._

_She’s gonna turn me away._

_I don’t deserve her help._

_I should have just gone to the police station._

            The click of a lock and the door opening halted Pearl’s thoughts.  She looked up and sucked in a breath.  Garnet stood in the doorway wearing a pair of flannel plaid pajama pants and a white t-shirt that contrasted beautifully against her dark skin.  Even though it was night, the woman was wearing her reflective sunglasses and a noticeable scowl.

            _My stars she’s hot…_

“You opened!” Pearl burst out before her mind could come up with a better introduction or explanation for why she was here in the first place.

            “Why are you here?  Go home,” Garnet quickly stated.

            “I…don’t have a home.”

            “Your apartment?” the curly haired woman frowned deeper as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

            “I’m locked out.”

            “Did you lose your keys?”

            “I have them right here,” Pearl proved as she pulled them out by the pink carabiner, twirling them around once for fun.

            “So why in the stars are you on my doorstep in the middle of the night?”

            _Oh right!  Make sure to say this correctly._

“I’ve been kicked out of my apartment and I need a place to sleep tonight.”

            “And you’ve come to me out of all the people in Beach City?  Don’t you have any friends you could go to?!”

            Pearl looked down and tapped her two pointer fingers together and watched her breath come out in puffs in the frigid air.

            “I don’t have very many friends.  Amethyst is a teenager and I’m not exactly welcomed in her house.  Her mother and father don’t like my influence on her.”

            “Geez I wonder why?”

            “And I don’t want Steven to see me like this,” Pearl finished solemnly.

            The dark woman scratched the back of her neck as she internally debated the pale woman’s plea.

            “Come in,” she conceded with a sigh.

            “Thank you,” Pearl breathed out in a sigh of relief.

            She quickly followed the taller woman into the warm house, her movements only slightly affected by the two drinks she had that night.

            “How much did you drink?” Garnet asked as she opened up the cabinet and pulled out a plastic cup

            “A couple of martinis,” Pearl answered, light blue eyes traveling up the back side of her gracious host.  She unconsciously licked her lips.

            _I just want to-NO!  Keep it together, behave!_

The thin woman quickly stared at the floor.

            “When was the last time you ate?”

            “I…don’t remember…”

            Reflective sunglasses stared at her from over Garnet’s muscular shoulder.  With a sigh the woman opened up the fridge and looked around in it for a few moments.  Pearl took a seat on one of the barstools, reflexively going for one of her cigarettes.  A heavy gaze quickly stopped the action.  The thin woman put her hands up in surrender and the dark woman turned to put an item into the microwave.  The hum of the microwave was the only sound between the two ex-girlfriends.  With a series of beeps, Garnet pulled out the food and set it in front of Pearl along with a glass of water and a fork.

            “This will help you sober up.”

            A pointed nose took a sniff.  She recognized the dish immediately, she didn’t have to take off the paper towel to know what it was.  Salmon baked with chopped pecans, honey mustard, and bread crumbs.  Pearl quickly dug in, savoring the wonderful taste.  This scene felt familiar, like something they had done a number of times back when they were dating.  Garnet and Pearl both could cook well, but Garnet liked to cook for Pearl.  A hollow feeling crept up in the pale woman’s chest.  It became harder to swallow.  She missed this.  She missed spending time with Garnet, simple, silly time eating, talking, or just watching a movie together.  Pearl numbly finished the food and drained her glass of water.

            “So you’re kicked out?  What did the notice say?” Garnet broke the silence.

            Light blue eyes widened as she tried to recall what that annoying piece of paper had said.

            “I…don’t remember…” the thin woman painfully admitted as she pressed the palms of her hands against her eyes.

            “Seriously Pearl?” Garnet said in annoyance.

            Pearl wracked her brain for any piece of information or any image she could remember of the evil piece of paper.  The letters spelling “October” and “7am” eventually popped up.

_That must be it!_

            “7am,” the pale woman finally spoke.

            “7am,” Garnet confirmed.

            “7am…that’s the best I can remember.”

            The curly haired woman nodded.

            “If you’re done, we’re going to head upstairs, that’s where you’ll be sleeping.”

            “Thank you Garnet,” Pearl nodded.

            Garnet made no comment and just motioned for her to head up the stairs.  They moved silently.  Pearl stood awkwardly off to the side as the dark woman pulled out a queen-sized air mattress and began inflating it with an electric pump.  Light blue eyes widened in panic as she realized that she needed to use the bathroom.  With a quick scan she was able to locate it right behind her.  She dashed in.  When she came out Garnet was just putting the plug into the full mattress.  Her feet moved faster than her brain and leapt towards the mattress.

            “Weeee!”

            She landed face first and curled up into a ball.  A low grumble came from Garnet and a mass of blankets were dropped on her.  Pearl snuggled into them, not bothered by the couple of pillows that were thrown at her a couple seconds later.  In moments she was fast asleep.

 

            At 5am Garnet silenced her alarm and got up.  In minutes she was dressed and had some black coffee made.  Covered eyes glanced up the stairs.  She gritted her teeth as she headed up to wake her sleeping “guest”.  Garnet wasn’t even going to bother shaking Pearl awake, she knew that wasn’t going to work.  Large hands reached under the tall air mattress as she squatted down.  In one motion she flipped it, sending the sleeping individual flying onto the carpeted floor with a loud thump.

            “What the fuck?” Pearl grumbled as she pushed herself into a sitting position.

            “Time to get up,” Garnet informed.

            “What?  No,” the pale woman decided as she wrapped herself in the blankets on the soft floor.

            The dark woman flicked on the lights and stood over the resisting pile.  “Time to get up,” she repeated.

            When there was no movement, Garnet grabbed one end of the blankets and yanked them off Pearl.  The sleepy woman hissed and latched onto the other end, fighting to keep a hold of them.  Garnet frowned and used the blankets to pull Pearl to her feet.

            “We are heading over to your apartment and getting your stuff out before it gets sold.”

            “Later…” Pearl protested.

            “No.  Now,” Garnet firmly spoke.  “Go use the bathroom.  If you’re not down in five minutes I’m going to come back up and drag you down.”

            “Fuck you…” the strawberry blonde mumbled as she rubbed her temples.

            Without another word Garnet went back down the stairs and began to drink a cup of the coffee.  Three minutes later Pearl stumbled down the stairs and took a seat on one of the barstools.  The curly haired woman slid a bottle of over-the-counter painkillers over to her.  Pearl fumbled around with the childproof lid before managing to open it and pour out a couple.  She tipped her head back and swallowed the pills without any water.

            “Coffee?” Garnet asked.

            Pearl silently nodded as she rubbed her face with her hands.  The taller woman poured a mug and set it in front of her ex-girlfriend.

            “Do you have any cream or sugar?”

            “Nope, today you’re getting it straight.”

            Pearl grumbled as she took a sip.  The dark woman quickly drained the rest of her mug.

            “Finish up, time to get moving.”

            The pale woman glared at Garnet with her bloodshot eyes before gulping down the hot, bitter liquid.  A large hand grabbed the empty mug and rinsed it out in the sink.  Garnet then grabbed her keys and walked out the front door.

            “C’mon, we’re heading over to your apartment.”

            The dark woman opened the passenger door for Pearl, the woman slipping in with a wordless nod.  Garnet then drove as Pearl directed her to the apartment complex where the thin woman’s belongings were being held hostage.  After parking, the curly haired woman popped the trunk of her car and pulled out a large set of bolt cutters.  Pearl eyed her warily.  Garnet quickly walked up the outdoor stairs towards the door with the padlock and the notice.  Covered eyes quickly read the notice.  Pearl technically should have been able to stay in her place that night.  However, that didn’t matter now.  With little effort, Garnet cut through the bolt.

            “Isn’t that illegal?!” Pearl hissed.

            Garnet glanced over her shoulder.  “Do you still have your keys?”

            “Y-yes.”

            “Then open it up,” she motioned to the door.  “We have until 7am to get as much of your stuff out as possible.”

            “I know you’re an officer, but isn’t this still breaking and entering?” Pearl restated as she unlocked the door.

            “You are still the resident until 7am.  They shouldn’t have locked you out,” Garnet countered as she strode into the mostly bare apartment.  “Grab what you can and put it in my car.”

            The pale woman rushed in after her, going straight for her closet and grabbing what little clothing she had in there.  It was odd how seamlessly they worked together to clean out Pearl’s belongings.  Not a single word was exchanged, no awkward bumping or getting in the other’s way.  In just under an hour Garnet’s car was full of boxes, kitchen ware, clothes, food, and more.  The only items remaining were the few large pieces of furniture Pearl owned.

            “Call Greg,” Garnet stated.

            “What?” Pearl turned to her as they worked on taking the brass bedframe apart.

            “Call Greg, the rest of this stuff won’t fit in my car.”

            “Why should I call Greg?”

            “He has a large van, and is a friend of yours, right?”

            “I guess so.  Technically, I’m closer friends with Steven than Greg.”

            “Call him or I will,” Garnet finalized as she picked up one of the parts of the bedframe and walked out the door.

            Pearl grumbled as she pulled out her phone, walking out of the apartment right behind Garnet.  It was 6:34am, they had just under a half an hour before the apartment’s owners were going to have a crew clean out the unit.  The athletic woman paused and stared at the rising sun.  She sincerely hoped that Greg would wake up and be able to help them.  While Pearl was on the phone, Garnet removed the rest of the bedframe and took a look at the familiar small, oak dresser.  It was far too heavy to carry all in one piece, she was going to have to take each drawer out one at a time.  Dark hands grabbed the knobs on the top drawer, pulled it open, and then froze.  The top drawer contained only two items.  Two items she immediately recognized.  An orange envelope addressed to Pearl in her own handwriting, and a small, black velvet box.  Eyes blinked behind her sunglasses as she stared at them.  She had no idea that Pearl had kept the oval pearl, or that she had acquired the envelope.  Hesitant hands reached in to gently pick up the velvet box and open it.  The oval pearl sat in its spot, just as smooth and beautiful as it had been the day Garnet had bought it.

            “I was able to get a hold of Greg, he said he would be over in ten minutes,” Pearl informed as she walked back into the apartment.

            Garnet snapped out of her reverie, closed the jewelry box, and shut the top drawer.

            “Good.  I’ll let you take the top drawer,” she said as she pulled out the second one and briskly walked out of the apartment.

            Pearl just stared after her for a moment before pulling the drawer out and following.  The dark woman was thankful yet again for her sunglasses hiding her eyes as she blinked back the tears pricking at the edge of her vision.  In the promised timeline, Greg Universe showed up with his white van that was covered with the “Mr. Universe” custom paint job.  Garnet smiled and waved at the man as he hopped out.

            “So Pearl explained that you guys need help getting her stuff out of here?” Greg began.

            “Yes, I can’t fit the rest in my car and the cleaners will be here soon,” Garnet nodded.

            “Well, alright!  I’m always happy to help out Pearl, she’s been a good friend to Steven and I,” he smiled as he picked up one of the pieces of the bedframe and began to carry it towards the back of his van.

            “Thank you.”

            The three of them worked together and were able to get the rest of Pearl’s belongings out of the apartment and into Greg’s van just before 7am.  Garnet watched from the doorway as Pearl did one last sweep of the place.

            “What is going on here?” a shrill voice called out to them.

            The dark woman turned to face a tall curvaceous woman with two side buns and hands on her hips.

            “That woman was kicked out for failing to pay her rent.  Those belongings are to be sold to make up for my financial loss!”

            “Are you the manager for this apartment complex?” Garnet asked before Pearl could open her mouth to snap at the woman.

            “Yes, Officer Bailey, I am the owner.  I manage all of the units.  Pearl Meyers has been a thorn in my side for years as I’m sure you can relate.  Late payments, rude and completely unprofessional behavior.”

            “So were you the one who put on the padlock?” the cop tipped her head towards the useless padlock laying on the ground.

            “Oh!  And she cut it off!  That’s illegal Pearl,” the manager scolded the pale woman.

            “I did not, Holly!” Pearl fired back.

            “Oh do you honestly expect me to believe that?!”

            “I cut it off,” Garnet cut in.

            “Off-Officer Bailey?  You cut it off?” Holly pulled back.  “But that’s-!”

            “It’s illegal to lock a tenant out of their unit before the listed eviction time,” Garnet cut her off as she pulled the door away from the outside of the apartment to reveal the notice still taped to it.  “I am willing to overlook this less than ethical business practice _and_ buy you a replacement padlock,” she continued as she picked up the broken hardware and placed it in Holly’s hand.  “Granted that the next time you implement it, it is within the legal terms.”

            Holly closed her mouth.  “Oh…!  Yes of course Officer Bailey,” she said with a panicked smile.  “Seeing that it is now 7am, I would be most pleased if you left the apartment Pearl.  I have a crew coming to clean it up.”

            “Don’t want to stay any longer anyways,” Pearl growled as she walked out of the apartment and headed down the stairs.

            Garnet gave Holly a quick nod and followed Pearl.  Greg looked at them as they walked over.

            “Wow, that was…interesting…” Greg chuckled.

            “Thank you for your help Greg, we wouldn’t have gotten everything out in time without you,” Garnet addressed him.

            “Yes, thank you Greg,” Pearl added.

            “Sure thing!  So should I drive this over to your place Garnet?”

            “What?” Garnet and Pearl said in unison.

            “Is Pearl moving into your place?”

            “What?  No!” Garnet quickly objected.

            “That would not be a very good idea,” Pearl agreed as she tousled her short hair.

            “Oh…oh!  Sorry,” the man scratched the back of his head.  “I just assumed since you two came here together so early and that Pearl had spent the night at your place…”

            “I was willing to help her out temporarily.  However, Pearl needs to figure out where she is going to live until she gets a job and can get back on her feet.”

            The two turned to look at the pale woman.  Pearl shrank away from their gazes.

            “Well, once Mr. Mechanic has the shop back up and running I’ll have a job, so I don’t want to leave Beach City just yet.”

            “You know Pearl,” Greg smiled.  “You helped Steven and I out.  The house is just as much yours as it is ours.  Why don’t you stay with us until you get everything figured out?”

            Garnet listened to the new information with rapt attention.

            “Steven would love to have you stay with us,” Greg added.

            “But what about my negative influence on him?”

            “Keep your smoking outside and don’t come home drunk ok?  As for the language, you’re pretty good about it around him already.”

            “I can do that.  Thank you, Greg, I really appreciate it,” the thin woman smiled.

            “Of course!  How could I turn away from an old friend in a time of need?” Greg grinned as he pulled Pearl in for a side hug.

            “How long have you two known each other?” Garnet casually asked.

            “Oh Pearl and I go way back!  I dated her foster mother Rose.  Pearl was always around her,” the round man blurted out before Pearl could say anything.  “Rose was a great woman,” he reminisced.  “It’s unfortunate we never were able to make anything legally official or for her to spend any time with her son before she passed away.  I moved here with Steven when he was just a baby and then a few years later, Pearl did too and paid for our property and house.”

            “Really?  That’s very generous of you Pearl,” Garnet said to the thin woman.  She then turned to Greg.  “I’m sorry to hear that about Steven’s mother, but it sounds like things are going well.  He is a bright and cheerful kid.”

            “Yeah, I do my best, and occasionally get help from Vidalia, Barb, Pearl, or even Amethyst at times,” Greg chuckled.

            “Why don’t we head out?” Pearl jumped in.  “I don’t want to be standing around so Holly comes back and yells at us, ok?”

            “Great idea!  I’ll head over.  Garnet, you two can just follow me, or well, Pearl knows the way.”

            “We’ll be right behind you,” Garnet nodded.

            The middle aged man hopped into his van and started off.  Garnet opened the door for Pearl again before getting into the driver’s side and following Greg’s van.

            _So, Steven is Rose’s son and Greg was her lover._

Garnet was positive the mentioned Rose was the same Rose that took Pearl in as a teenager, and was the leader of the Rose Thorns.  The information brought to light several concerning ideas.  Just how many people knew of that connection?  How many of them knew where Steven lived?  How many would want to harm him?

            Hands gripped the steering wheel tightly.

            “So,” she broke the silence after a couple of minutes.  “Steven’s mother was Rose.  The leader of the Rose Thorns that you worked for.”

            Pearl folded her arms and looked out the passenger window, remaining silent.

            “Is that why you came to Beach City?” Garnet pressed.

            “I’m not obligated to confirm or deny anything,” Pearl snapped.

            “It might be a good idea to inform some local law enforcement that the former lover and son of a large gang leader lives here.  What if someone were to come after him?”

            “They wouldn’t.”

            “And how would you know that?”

            “Because I would make sure they didn’t.”

            Garnet scoffed.  “All by yourself?”

            Pearl glared at her.  “They have no reason to come after him.  He never knew Rose, Rose never got to know him.”

            The dark woman frowned.  “How much does he know about her?”

            “What is it with all of you people wanting to know if Steven knew his mother?!” Pearl burst out.

            “People?”

            “Yeah!  Always wanting to know if we’ve told him about her gang or the drugs or the murders.  No we haven’t!  Who wants to tell him that?  Imagine having to say that to Steven’s face; tell him that his mother was no better than the bad guys everyone hates in movies.”

            “Who else has been asking?”

            “What?!  I didn’t say anyone else had been asking,” Pearl tried to backtrack.

            “No, you said people.  Which implies that at least one other person besides me has asked this question.  How many people know Steven’s connection to Rose?”

            The thin woman remained silent.

            “Pearl…”

            “Four,” Pearl quickly answered.

            “Including me and you?  And any remaining former Rose Thorns?”

            “I don’t know if they are still around or not, but they don’t know where he lives anyway.”

            “Even S?”

            “You interrogating me or something?” Pearl tried to derail.

            “After last night and this morning I don’t think it’s too unreasonable for me to ask a few questions, especially when there’s been a recent arson where one of the potential targets is a former gang member,” the curly haired woman stated pointedly.

            “S knows that he’s alive, but not where he lives.  She knows that I’m watching over him.”

            “Does she know where you live?”

            “No.”

            Garnet nodded.  “So the only people who know of Steven’s connection to Rose and know where he lives is Greg, you, and I?”

            “Yes,” Pearl said after a moment of hesitation.

            “Are you sure?”

            “Yes!” came the thin woman’s irritated tone.

            “Just making sure,” Garnet finished as she looked ahead at the beachside house coming into view.

            Steven came running out of the house and towards them, the dark woman could easily hear him celebrating.  He hugged Pearl and quickly volunteered to help bring stuff into the house.  With some simple arrangements, the game room was converted into the pale woman’s temporary living quarters.  Pearl never had a lot of belongings, so she didn’t need much space.  Garnet made sure everything was set up before thanking Greg for taking Pearl in and for helping them move.  As the curly haired woman was heading back to her car, a familiar voice called out to her.

            “Garnet!  Wait!”

            The dark woman turned around to face Pearl as she jogged across the sand.  She crossed her arms in front of her chest and regarded the approaching woman with a neutral expression.  The pale woman exhaled heavily and braced herself on her knees for a moment as she caught her breath.

            “Thank you,” she quickly began.

            Garnet raised a covered eyebrow.

            Pearl looked away as she pressed the palms of her hands together.  “I didn’t ask, nor did I deserve your help today.  So, thank you.  I’m sorry for coming to your place drunk, and for dumping all my homeless shit on you.  I really was trying to do better at my job and show you that I could be responsible, but then the fire happened and I’m back to being useless, a burden, someone who can’t earn their keep.”

            The dark woman inhaled deeply and looked out at the rough ocean waves before facing Pearl again.

            “Look, I’m not going to turn you away out of spite.  That’s not how I operate.”

            “I know,” Pearl stared at the sand.

            “Just, don’t give up.  Keep fighting, keep searching, and keep working.  You’ll figure out something.”

            “I won’t,” Pearl promised.

            “And don’t show up on my doorstep at 1am drunk again.”

            “I won’t.”

            “Good.  Now I gotta get to work, have a good day Pearl,” Garnet finished as she got into her car and began to drive away.

            In the rearview mirror she could see Pearl staring after her.  Covered eyes looked forward and focused on the road.  It was almost 9am, she was supposed to be at work at 8.  A groan slipped past full lips.  She could already hear Captain Green lecturing her.

 

            “BAILEY!” the deep voice roared at her the second she stepped into the police station.

            Garnet internally grumbled.  She already had a headache and this was only going to make it worse.

            “What kind of half assed effort are you putting forth?!  Showing up over an hour late?!  This case isn’t going to solve itself.” Jasper continued as she marched over to Officer Bailey.

            “I had a personal emergency this morning that prevented me from getting a number of hours of sleep and arriving to work on time,” the dark cop loosely explained.

            “Yeah?  What happened?” the muscular woman folded her arms across her chest.

            “Personal emergency,” Garnet repeated as she continued to walk towards her desk.

            “And?”

            “What did the fire chief have to say about what they’ve been looking into?”

            Captain Green frowned at the change in topics, but followed the woman anyway.  “They agree with your crazy notion that it was arson, but like everyone else, they have yet to find a way it was started, who started it, and why it was started in the first place.”

            “It’s possible the person just used items that would easily burn up, like gasoline and matches.  They could have had the area already soaked and just flicked something down to start it,” Garnet suggested.

            “No one spotted suspicious persons or smells.  None of the other shop owners caught an off scent or anything.”

            “Well, what is a way you think it could have been started?” Officer Bailey tossed back to her captain.

            “Working on it.  No explosions, so that can’t be it,” Jasper huffed as she sat down.

            “Flamethrower?”  Officer Lazuli offhandedly suggested.

            “No one was seen!”

            Officer Lazuli shrugged.

            Garnet took a seat in her chair and pulled up the fire chief’s report.  After a read through, she was going to head back to the site.  They still had a couple more days before Mr. O’Reilly started cleaning up his place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chips slowly fall into place. And it should be clear who did the arson now, but if not it was Yellow Diamond who orchestrated it. We will find out exactly how soon enough. Next chapter will have some detective work and Garnet remembers a certain night in the past. Thanks all for reading!!
> 
> Here's a picture I made of the die that Yellow Diamond has!  
> https://thetruthampere.tumblr.com/post/159353317468/this-is-relevant-for-chapter-21-hehehehe-good


	22. Reminisce

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A day brings up memories. Garnet and Pearl talk.
> 
> WARNING: there is a nsfw scene that will be marked with /*** and ***\

^^^^^^

A certain day brings back memories.  Garnet struggles to figure out the reason behind the mechanic shop fire.

^^^^^^

 

            Another week passed and things were looking just as hopeful as they had the first week.  No progress was made on the case and one by one officers and firemen were pulled off it to work on other matters.  Officer Bailey walked into the station on time and headed towards her desk.  Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of Officer Lazuli’s word of the day calendar.

“October 9th

Equivoque: an ambiguous expression

or a play on words.”

            A grimace formed on her face.

            “Hey Lapis, did you forget to pull off yesterday’s word?” she called out.

            “Nope, today is an equivoque day.”

            “What the hell does that mean?” Jasper grumbled.

            “It means I get to use as many puns as I wish today,” Officer Lazuli smirked.

            “Please don’t.”

            “Water you going to do about it?”

            The captain groaned and smacked her hand against her face.  Officer Bailey checked in at her computer and scanned through the active case file for the mechanic shop fire.  If there was one odd thing about it, it was how little damage was done despite how many places had been affected.  Sure the mechanic shop was toast, but the other three shops had been closed from a couple to a few days at most.  All repairs had been finished relatively easily.

            _So if we go on the thought that it was arson, and that the objective was completed, then there are only two possible intended victims, Mr. O’Reilly or Pearl Meyers._

Covered eyes drifted down to the corner of her computer screen, the day’s date standing out, taunting her.  Mismatched eyes were quickly shut as Garnet forced back the memories creeping into her mind.

            _Focus!_

The curly haired officer walked back into the evidence room and pulled out the bags containing the plastic discs.  There were six of them now.  In her searches over the past three weeks she had found two more located in the corners of the office in the mechanic shop.  Yet nothing had come back from forensics other than that they were all made of the same material.  An idea popped into her head.  Garnet took one of the discs and maneuvered back to her desk.  She pulled out a magnet and held it close to the blob of charred material, hoping to feel a magnetic pull of some sort.  Nothing.

            “You’re looking pretty burnt out on the fire case, Bailey,” Lapis stated as she sat down backwards on the chair next to the frustrated cop.

            “Stop it!” Jasper yelled in exasperation.

            Officer Lazuli just smirked at the captain.  “Maybe you should take a break, or look at it from a different angle.”

            “How so?” an eyebrow was raised behind sunglasses.

            “Well, there are multiple reasons why someone commits arson.  They could be trying to kill someone, or ruin them financially, or threaten them, or it could be a bored individual wanting to try something out.”

            “You think this could have been a prank?”

            The shorter officer shrugged.  “There’s no proof that it wasn’t a prank.  I mean no one did really get hurt.  Mr. O’Reilly wasn’t in the shop, Pearl usually isn’t in the shop in the afternoons.  Had she kept her usual work habits she wouldn’t have been in the middle of it at all.”

            _Pearl…_

******

 

            A nervous smile appeared on the pale woman’s lips.  Garnet confidently stepped forward, their fingers interlacing with one hand while the other was pressed against her lower back.  The dark woman placed her hand on the thin woman’s shoulder.  Soft music drifted in the background.  Together they moved awkwardly to the tune.

 

******

 

            Garnet pinched the bridge of her nose and forced herself back into the present.  Officer Lazuli was waving her hand in front of her glasses.

            “Hey, you with me?”

            “Yeah,” she quickly responded.  “Sorry, I got lost in thought for a second.”

            “Sure.  Well as I was saying, you probably need a break from the case, or a different angle,” Lapis said as she rotated the plastic disk in Garnet's hand 90 degrees.  “With how it’s being looked at now, it’s not going to get figured out.”

            “We just need more information.”

            Blue eyes rolled.  “Or you could seek a second opinion.  Anyway, that’s my advice.”

            “Thanks, I’ll take it into consideration,” Garnet evenly answered as she stared at the plastic disc again.

            Staying on task proved to be increasingly difficult as the day wore on.  More memories kept creeping back into her mind as she did some research and visited Mr. O’Reilly as he was sorting through the remains of his shop.  In all honestly, she couldn’t be happier when it was time for her to go home.  Garnet riffled through her closet as she tried to decide on what shirt to wear for the evening.

 

******

 

            A long arm slipped through the shoulder of the crimson dress as Garnet finished putting on her outfit for the evening.  Thick lips painted with red smirked as she zipped herself all the way up, utilizing her flexibility.  Broad, toned shoulders were rolled back and the beautiful woman looked at herself in the mirror.  The knee-length, pencil, evening dress hugged her curvaceous body perfectly and then finished with one wide strap swooping over her right shoulder.  Gold patterns woven into the fabric burst from the shoulder and cascaded down her front like rain and slowly wrapped around to her back by the time it reached the end of the fabric.  The dark woman nodded in approval and then flexed just for fun.

 

******

 

            Once again, the curly haired woman forced her mind back to the present.  A frown crossed her lips when she noticed what she was holding in her left hand.  The protective pink plastic cover did little to hide the dress underneath.  Her hand was quickly pulled away.  Garnet grabbed the shirt next to the dress and shut her closet.  Fast hands buttoned up the plaid shirt and rolled the sleeves up to her elbows.  The tall woman made her way to her jewelry box and smoothly opened it.

 

******

 

            Large gold hoop earrings were put on with the simple eye loop.  Light, stunning, and they matched her dress perfectly.  The curly haired woman quickly ran through the checklist in her mind.  Dress, make-up, jewelry, shoes…  Red, three inch, strapped heels completed the outfit.  Just as she was putting the last one on there was a sound by the door.

 

******

 

            Garnet tore her eyes away from the gold hoop earrings in her box and decided on a pair of red garnet studs.  Today was one of the days that always brought up memories.  Her mother Sapphire had always encouraged her to let the scenes play out so she could process them.  However, Garnet had always resisted these memories.  As the dark woman laced up her shoes, she decided it was time to go for a walk and to let herself remember.  She couldn’t just hide in her house all day beating her punching bag.  After five years, it was finally time to.

 

******

 

            “Garnet?” Pearl’s voice called from the door.  “It’s me, Pearl!  Are you ready for tonight?”

            “Just one second!  I’ll be right there,” Garnet called from her bedroom

            She let out a quick breath, grabbed her black, leather hand purse, and walked out towards the front door.  The curly haired woman would be lying if she said that the additional slight swing to her hips was unintentional.  Regardless, it had the desired effect.  Pearl’s mouth fell open as her light blue eyes drank in the sight.  Brown eyes crinkled at the corners as Garnet smiled widely before running up and down the thin woman in turn.  Pearl was wearing a nice pair of black slacks, a white dress shirt under her usual leather jacket, and a pair of converse high tops to finish the outfit.  Strawberry blonde hair was slightly styled and an ever so faint dusting of make-up could be seen on her pale skin.

            “You look very nice tonight, Pearl,” Garnet spoke, her smooth, deep, accented voice drifted past her full lips.

            Pearl just gaped at her.  The dark woman smirked and then leaned in for a quick kiss.  Her girlfriend tried to take the simple peck up a couple notches, but Garnet leaned back.

            “Later,” she whispered.

            “My stars you look stunning,” Pearl finally found her voice.

            “Thank you.  Ready for dinner?  I think you’ll like the place.”

            “Can we just skip dinner and go straight to dessert?” the pale woman tried as she offered Garnet her arm.

            The taller woman laughed and placed her hand on Pearl’s elbow.

            “No.”

            They stepped out of Garnet’s apartment, but had to return so the dark woman could grab her coat.  It was a cold fall night and her dress didn’t shield her as much from the elements as her usual attire did.  Pearl hailed a taxi and then opened the door for her.  The location was given to the driver and they were off.  In minutes the couple walked up to the maître d' of the fancy restaurant and informed him that they were there for the reservation under “Garnet Bailey”.  A waitress took them to their table for two.  Once again, Pearl took initiative and pulled Garnet’s chair out for her.  The dark woman gave her an appreciative smile as she took off her jacket.  Pearl just stared at her, her cheeks flushed.

            “Order what you want,” the pale woman said.  “I’m paying tonight.”

            An eyebrow was raised up in surprise.

            “You made the reservation, I pay the bill.”

            “I should keep that in mind for the future,” Garnet hummed.

            Pearl just laughed.

            Entrées were picked out, a bottle of wine was popped open, smooth melodies drifted in the background along with the clatter and conversation of the surrounding customers.  Garnet casually sipped on her wine glass as she listened to Pearl explain the polarity of water molecules and how it had enough strength to create surface tension.  A demonstration was in order as she asked the waitress to pour her water glass full enough so she could show the fascinating properties of the molecule’s polarity.  The dark woman smiled and reminisced on how just two years ago this same woman, who was now dropping pennies into her full glass to further demonstrate the strength of the polarity, would barely spare her a second glance.  It took nearly fifty pennies to make the water break the surface tension and spill out of the glass.  Garnet laughed and inquired as to why Pearl had so many pennies on hand.  The thin woman blushed and admitted that she had brought them to use in case there was an awkward lull in the conversation, that earned her a hearty laugh from the curly haired woman.  Minutes later their food arrived and they dug in.  Garnet casually asked Pearl if there were any other interesting facts she knew about molecules.  Light blue eyes brightened and the table conversation went forward about all sorts of chemicals and types of chemical bonds and how they could be used to enhance the taste, smell, and appearance of the food.  She even went on about how the temperatures and color schemes used in most restaurants were planned to make people feel hungrier so they would buy more food.

            After an hour and a half Garnet got up and extended her hand to Pearl.  The pale woman looked up at her confused.

            “Dance with me,” Garnet invited.

            She could feel the eyes of the other patrons on them as they walked towards the barely used dance floor, but they didn’t matter, only the woman in front of her mattered.  Garnet intertwined their fingers as she took a step forward.  A hand was placed on her lower back, she rested hers on the pale woman’s shoulder.  Pearl took a step forward, Garnet took one back a half second later.  Hesitantly, the thin woman led her through a basic waltz.

            “We’ve never danced together,” Pearl spoke up.

            “Not like this,” Garnet corrected with a light tease.

            The pale woman’s cheeks flushed a bright pink.

            “That’s true,” she quietly admitted.

            After a few more steps Pearl sighed.  “I’m sorry, I don’t really know any other type of dancing.”

            “That’s ok, would you like it if I took the lead?”

            “Sure,” followed by a shrug.

            The couple switched hand placement.  Garnet pulled Pearl closer and began with a bold stride forward, the back slit in her dress allowing for such a movement.  She let her body assist in her leading as they paced around the small dance floor.  The dark woman pushed Pearl out for a spin, then pulled her back in.  At first they stumbled a little bit, but it didn’t take long before they were twirling gracefully across the floor.  Garnet finished the dance by dipping Pearl and giving her a soft kiss on the lips.  As they stood back up together a number of the other patrons gave them a round of applause.  The pale woman’s blush grew deeper and they bowed awkwardly together before returning to finish their meal.

            The bill was paid, Pearl shoved a wad of cash into the simple folder, and they hailed another taxi to take them back to Garnet’s apartment.  Once inside, lips were pressed together in a passionate kiss.  The curly haired woman pulled back and took a few steps back towards her bedroom.  Pearl eagerly followed.  A kiss, two steps back, another kiss, two more steps back.  Garnet opened the door to her room and motioned for Pearl to follow.

/***

            “Wait a moment,” the taller woman smiled after her girlfriend had closed the door.

            The thin woman weakly groaned, but stood still.  Garnet turned on the lights so she could see the unlit candles she had placed around the room.  With a flick of her wrist the match was struck; the fizzle of chemicals bringing the fire to life.  One by one the four candles set on Garnet’s desk and dresser were lit.  The match was extinguished and thrown into a small cup of water.  Garnet turned off the lights, letting the soft candlelight bathe the room.  She turned and gave Pearl a lidded gaze.  Flushed faces were pressed together once again, Pearl’s hands trailing over her shoulders and up her neck.  Gold earrings and shoes needed to be removed before things progressed any further.  The dark woman turned and took out her earrings.  A soft gasp slipped past her lips as she felt Pearl slowly unzip her, trailing kisses down her spine as each inch of dark, bare skin was unveiled.  When the zipper was down completely, hands gently turned her around and guided her to sit on the bed.  A black eyebrow was raised up as the pale woman knelt down and took ahold of one of her feet.  Nimble fingers undid the clasp on the heel and it was set aside as lips traced feather light kisses up the side of her calf.  Garnet watched Pearl, her chest rising and falling with her heavy breaths.  The other heel was discarded in a similar fashion and the curly haired woman was pulled back to her feet.  Thin fingers eased the dress down so it pooled at Garnet’s ankles revealing the simple black bra and panties she was wearing underneath.  Garnet stepped forward and captured the pale woman’s lips in a mind-blowing kiss.  Her fingers popped each button of the white dress shirt open, her painted full lips following suit, leaving a trail of red marks down the front of Pearl’s torso.  The pale woman moaned her name.  Garnet took a hold of Pearl’s belt and pulled the woman with her as she flopped back onto her bed.  They landed with a fit of giggles as they repositioned themselves from the less than graceful maneuver.  Garnet gazed up at Pearl hovering over her.

            “I love you,” she stated as she ran a hand along Pearl’s cheek.

            Pearl smiled and lowered herself down.  The kiss was soft and slow.  There was no need to rush, they had plenty of time to just enjoy being with each other.  Garnet’s skilled hands eased Pearl out of her shirt and bra.  The items were quickly tossed to the side.  With a swift movement, the curly haired woman rolled both of them over so the pale woman was on the bottom.  Painted lips ran down Pearl’s neck softly biting and sucking; slowly working down until they captured a nipple.  The thin woman arched her back, moaning for more.  Garnet rolled the broadside of her tongue around the hardening peak as her hands moved down to massage Pearl’s lower abdominals.  After a soft bite, lips were moved to the other breast, giving it just as much love as the other one had received.

            “ _Ah..Fuck!_ ” Pearl groaned, her hands entangling themselves in her short strawberry blonde hair.

            Narrow hips bucked as sturdy fingers slipped underneath the pale woman’s belt for a second.  Garnet hummed appreciatively as Pearl’s hands moved to grasp her hips and begin to work the black panties down.  The curly haired woman trailed kisses back up to her girlfriend’s lips as she shifted to let the piece of cloth be thrown to the side.  They broke apart for a second to catch their breath.  Pearl sent her a confident wink before she slid underneath Garnet, her thin arms wrapping around muscular thighs.  Garnet inhaled quickly as Pearl ran her tongue across her hot center.  As the pale woman continued, Garnet carefully lowered herself down so Pearl was laying back down on the bed with only a small amount of her weight on her girlfriend’s face.  A moan slipped past thick lips as her opening was teased by Pearl’s skilled tongue before the thin woman moved to suck on her clitoris.  Hips rocked slightly, pushing for that extra bit of friction that would drive her crazy.  Garnet leaned forward, her eyes shut tight as her hands gripped the bedsheets.  Dull fingernails scraped across her ass just as Pearl stepped up her movements.  Another moan came from the dark woman.  Garnet sat back up and raked her fingers through Pearl’s damp hair.  She could feel herself getting closer.  Pearl’s tongue slipped inside her; her hips increased their pace.  Hands tugged on short strands of hair; lips wrapped around her swollen nub, sucking and biting.  Garnet threw her head back and gazed up at the ceiling, eyes slowly rolling back as she came, gasping out her lover’s name.

            “ _Pearl…!_ ”

            Forearms crashed against the firm bed as Garnet collapsed forward.  Soothing strokes of Pearl’s tongue ran against her center as she came down from her high.  The dark woman shifted her weight, allowing for Pearl to push herself through so they were staring at each other.  Garnet gave her a soft smile before leaning down to gently kiss Pearl’s wet lips.  Nimble fingers snuck around her torso and unclasped her bra.  A black eyebrow was raised in a silent tease before the item was discarded with the others.  Garnet raced her fingers up Pearl’s sides, across her shoulders, and up her arms.  Their fingers intertwined reflexively.  Thick lips smirked.  The curly haired woman pushed Pearl’s arms up and pinned them against the mattress as she positioned herself between the thin woman’s legs.

            “Time to get you out of those pants.”

            Pearl’s breath hitched.  Ever so steadily, Garnet began to move her hands back the way they came.  When they came to the small pert breasts, thumbs traced circles around the dark pink nipples.

            “ _Ah!_ ”

            A muscular thigh was pressed against the smaller woman’s center, purposefully moving in way to drive the other woman crazy with need.  Garnet loved being able to turn Pearl into a quivering mess.  She loved seeing the woman come undone by her own hands, or lips.  The pale woman grasped her hands and tried to push them further down where her narrow hips were grinding against Garnet’s thick thigh.  Fast dark hands quickly broke out of the hold and captured her girlfriend’s hands.  Garnet pulled the bony hands up to her mouth, kissing the palms and knuckles while brown eyes stared into light blues.

            “I love you, Pearl.”

            A soft whine escaped Pearl’s lips, her face flushed and lips swollen.  Garnet placed Pearl’s hands on her chest and leaned down to kiss her lovingly.  Thin fingers eagerly massaged her round breasts.  The way their tongues danced together and the way their lips would suck and bite always made the dark woman melt into the contact.  Gently she pulled back and traced the pale woman’s subtle curves until she was holding on to the belt buckle.  Calloused hands smoothly undid the buckle and pulled the pants off.  Sturdy fingers wrapped around the elastic of the pink panties Pearl was wearing and effortlessly removed them.  Light blue eyes stared up at her in need, her love’s chest rising and falling with her rapid pants, arms and legs laid on the mattress, waiting for Garnet to make her move.  Strong arms pushed Pearl’s legs apart, opening up her wet center.  Garnet ran two fingers across Pearl’s center and brought them up to her lips for a taste.

            “ _Garnet…_ ” came the breathy moan.

            The curly haired woman smiled before positioning herself between the pale woman’s legs.  She ran her tongue across Pearl’s core teasingly.  Thin fingers grasped her curls and hips bucked, begging for more.  Garnet smirked briefly before continuing her movements.  Trace the opening, dip in for a moment, move up and suck.  She knew exactly what unhinged Pearl and she knew exactly what to do to drag it out as long as possible.  As Garnet continued, moans, gasps, and swears filled the room, thighs pushed against strong arms.  It wouldn’t be long.  White teeth tenderly nibbled on the swollen sensitive nub before running circles around it with her tongue.  A few moments later Pearl came, crying out loud and tugging roughly on Garnet’s hair.  After helping her girlfriend come down from her high, Garnet crawled back up and laid right next to Pearl.  The pale woman gave her a satisfied smile.  They shared a quick peck on the lips.

            “You’re amazing,” Pearl breathed out.

            “And so are you,” Garnet smoothly returned.

            Light blue eyes rolled back as the pale woman huffed in fake annoyance.

***\ 

 

******

 

            Silent footsteps stopped as they reached their unintended destination.  Covered eyes looked wearily forward at the place she had ended up walking to.  The Big Donut.  In the light of the nearby streetlight and the half-moon hanging in the night sky, Garnet could see the lithe figure sitting on the concrete, leaning back against the side of the shop.  The smoke from her cigarette drifted into the cold air.  Feet moved forward without her permission towards the slouched woman, stopping only a few feet away from her.  Pearl looked up at her shielded gaze.  Several moments passed in silence.

            “Do you remember?” Garnet began.  “This day?”

            Light blue eyes looked down at her knees.  “Our anniversary,” came her answer.

            A small, sad laugh escaped full lips as she shook her head.

            _Why am I here?_

“You kept the shirt I gave you,” Pearl suddenly added.  “I didn’t think you would,” she muttered off to the side.

            Garnet glanced down at the plaid shirt made of silver, black, white, and purple.

            “It looks good on me,” was her even response.

            “I know,” Pearl slightly chuckled.  “That’s why I bought it.”

            The two ex-lovers looked away from each other.

            “I didn’t think you would keep the pearl I gave you.”

            They faced each other again.

            “I couldn’t get rid of it,” Pearl admitted.  “Out of everything, that was the one thing I held onto.”

            Garnet hummed in response.  Silence invaded the space between the two.  The curly haired woman looked out at the ocean.

            “I talked to S,” Pearl broke the calm atmosphere.

            When Garnet made no comment, the pale woman continued.

            “I’m sure you already knew that, you probably saw the orange envelope when you were helping me move.”

            Once again the dark woman kept her mouth shut.

            “She showed me the evidence, and explained what had actually happened.”  The pale woman slowly blew out a stream of smoke.  “I was wrong,” she hoarsely whispered.  “I-I blamed you for everything, I was so scrambled and stressed when you – no, I’m not making any excuses.  You didn’t deserve that,” the pale woman looked at the ground.  “You didn’t deserve what I did to you,” Pearl clarified.

            Garnet remained silent.

            “I’m sorry.  I’m so sorry,” the strawberry blonde swallowed hard.  “I shot you.  I nearly _killed_ you.  All because…all because I couldn’t trust you.  Because I wanted to throw the blame on the first possible person for all the shit that was happening.”

            The dark woman breathed out heavily and placed her hands on her hips.

            “I’m sorry Garnet.  I know-I know that what I did was unforgiveable, but I wish there was something I could do to make up for it.”

            “You can’t.”

            Pearl jerked her head up to look at Garnet.

            “You can’t make up for it.  You can’t give me back my lost sight, you can’t restore my leg to how it was before, you can’t take away all the anguish I went through.”

            “Then what can I do?!”

            “I don’t know,” Garnet sighed.  “Apologizing and finally admitting you were wrong is a start, but I don’t know why you even care to.”

            “Because I want to.  Because that’s what is the right thing to do.  I can’t fix the past, but I can at least try to make things better between us.”

            “Good, because honestly I was getting real tired of all the shit you were giving me.  I can understand you getting upset for me kicking you away from places, but that’s my job and you’re the one pestering the shop owners.”

            “I’m sorry.  I was being stupid and childish.  I’ll try to be more cooperative and leave when told to.”

            Garnet nodded and folded her arms across her chest.

            “I’m also sorry for telling Amethyst those lies about you and for refusing to listen to you when you tried to tell me otherwise,” Pearl added.  “I didn’t want to hear it, at least not from you, I didn’t trust you.”

            “You never did,” the curly haired woman stated.

            “I did at one point in our relationship!  To a certain extent…” the pale woman tried to counter.  “Just not in the way that really mattered.”  Pearl grimaced.

            Garnet pinched the bridge of her nose and breathed out heavily.  She honestly didn’t know what to say to Pearl at this point.

            “I regret it.”

            Covered eyebrows were raised in surprise.

            “I regret shooting you.  I regret not listening to you, I regret destroying our relationship.  I regret causing you so much pain,” Pearl spoke, her voice tight with emotion.  “You were so good to me, I just couldn’t believe that it was real.  I didn’t let myself believe it was real,” she corrected.

            “There’s nothing you can do about that now.  Like you said you can’t fix the past.  If you want to be on better terms with me, you’ll need back up your words with some actions.”

            “I will.”

            Garnet regarded Pearl evenly.  It was a start.  If Pearl was serious about this, then things would go a lot smoother in the future.  Slowly she nodded.  The thin woman stood up and extinguished her cigarette.

            “Why’d you come here and talk with me?” Pearl asked after a moment of silence.

            The athletic woman shrugged. “Got caught up in the nostalgia.  I wasn’t really paying attention to where I was walking.”

            Pearl nodded in understanding.  “Thank you, for giving me a chance.”

            “Life’s easier when you’re not constantly fighting with someone,” Garnet simply stated.

            “I agree.”

            “Good,” the curly haired woman nodded.  “Good night Pearl,” she finished as she turned to leave.

            “Good night Garnet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sweet and bitter. Hope you all enjoyed! Next chapter will keep on rolling with the conflict.


	23. A Second Opinion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hold onto your seats. And time for some good information!
> 
> Also there's a couple more fanart posts I have the links to below the chapter, check them out!

^^^^^^

Officer Bailey visits a reliable source looking for information to help her with the arson case.

^^^^^^

 

            Finding a spot to park had been a little challenging, at first they weren’t going to let her park at the precinct, even in her patrol car, but with a little intimidation, the gate keeper let her in.  Garnet parked the police car and took a deep breath as she walked into her former precinct.  In the lobby she was stopped by one of the desk officers, but she simply stated that she had business here and that if they had any questions they could contact her superior Captain Green.  With that she strode through the desks, past all the familiar faces staring at her.  She gave them no indication that she looked their way.  Officer Bailey was here to talk with one cop and one cop only.  Luckily, Officer Bismuth was in the back, at her desk typing away on her computer.  Garnet knocked on the wall that partially cut Bismuth’s desk off from the main area of officers.  The stocky woman turned around, a wide smile breaking across her face when she recognized her former partner.

            “OFFICER BAILEY!” Bismuth stood up quickly and pulled her in for a hug and a clap on the back.  “What brings you to my office?  You’re all dressed up too, must be a business call?”

            “Unfortunately, I haven’t had time to come up for a normal visit,” Garnet apologized.

            “Don’t be.  Come, sit down, what’s going on?”

            The taller officer took a seat on the other side of Bismuth’s desk.  “Well, we had a big fire a few weeks ago.  It destroyed one shop and burned parts of three others.”

            Eyebrows were raised up in surprise.  “In Beach City, the ‘calm and quiet’ little town?  What was the cause?”

            “That’s what we’ve been trying to figure out.  There were no signs that pointed to an accident, so the fire department and I are on agreement that it was arson.”

            Bismuth whistled lowly.  “So, you got any leads or evidence?”

            “No.  Well I have these discs I found around some of the buildings, but I didn’t get much out of them aside from them all being the same type of plastic,” Garnet stared as she pulled out the discs.  “There was a pattern to how the fire burned the buildings.  I found these all sitting in corners where the worst marks were.  This has the pictures I took.”

            A 16GB USB was passed from one hand to the other.  Bismuth plugged it into her computer and began looking through the pictures.  A few minutes later she spoke up.

            “I see what you’re talking about.  It’s easiest to see on the fourth building.  The worst char marks start in the corners of the building and run along the base boards and up the corners of the outside.  And this repeats for all four affected buildings, but with a higher frequency the closer it gets to the mechanic shop.  Can I see one of those discs?”

            “Sure.”  Garnet passed one over.

            Bismuth rolled it around between her large fingers.  She set it down on her desk and then suddenly pulled out her knife and stabbed it; shaking the whole desk with the force she hit it with.  Garnet jumped to her feet.  The woman with dreadlocks smirked as she looked at the results.  The knife was embedded only halfway through the disc.

            “Something stopped me from going all the way through,” she smirked.

            “What?!”

            “There’s something inside this,” she continued as she skillfully used her knife to cut away the plastic.

            Slowly a small “T” shaped metal rod and several small gears were revealed along with a completely broken electronic device.  The device had been damaged by the stab Bismuth had taken at it.  The older officer pulled the metal rod out and handed it to Garnet.

            “It’s aluminum, that’s why the magnet didn’t catch,” Garnet stared in disbelief as she turned the object around in her hands.  “Same with the gears.  How did you?”

            Bismuth opened her hand, silently asking for another disc.  The curly haired cop quickly handed another one over.  With more care, the second disc’s plastic was peeled away revealing a slightly cracked electronic device, the same “T” shaped rod and gears.  The stocky officer leaned back in her chair and rubbed her face.

            “I’ve seen these before.”

            “Where?!  Who?!”  Garnet couldn’t sit still.

            “Who?” Bismuth stared at her for a hard moment, internally debating something.

            “Do you know what happened after I was promoted?  Soon after you were transferred?”

            “You told me that they’ve been having you working on cold cases.”

            “More or less,” Bismuth nodded.  “Do you remember the Soup Bowlers gang?”

            “Yeah,” Garnet nodded, anxious to get her answer.  “Their whole place went up in flames one night several years ago.  Everyone inside died.”

            “And you remember that originally we were going to be some of the officers to work on that case right?”

            “Yes, but we got pulled away to stay on top of the normal activity in Jersey.”

            The older officer slowly nodded.  “Yes, and I’m glad we did once I found out who was behind it, it was best for you not to know at the time.”

            “What? Why would you say something like that?”

            “Bailey, you get way too involved in your work sometimes.  I knew better than anyone else how badly you wanted to shut down every drug dealer in Jersey and then move onto the next city and do the same thing.  I wanted…I wanted you to get more experience before learning about them.”

            “Who?  Tell me Bismuth!” Garnet demanded.

            “The Diamonds.”

            “Who?”

            “Four Drug Lords that rule in the States.  White, Blue, Yellow, and Pink.  From what has been confiscated over the years all over the States; each one disperses a select set of drugs.  White deals in opioids and hallucinogens.  Blue deals in club drugs and depressants.  Pink deals in cannabinoids, anabolic steroids, and inhalants.  Lastly, Yellow deals in dissociative drugs and stimulants.”  Bismuth took a deep breath.  “Four incredibly dangerous individuals with vast empires and many crooks, politicians, and cops on their side.”

            “How do we know those drugs all come from the same people?”

            “Well, they like to brand the containers or bags they sell their stuff in.  Usually just a simple symbol or pattern including diamonds and one of the four colors depending on which diamond sold it.”

            “That’s awfully bold, don’t you think?  Those can easily be traced.”

            “You’d think so, but when you start looking into things as I have, people are not willing to talk about them, and if they do, more likely than not they disappear.  Information goes missing, stories are mixed up, no easy trails, no clear-cut way to determine much about them other than what they sell and how dangerous they are.”

            “Just how dangerous are they?”

            “Well,” Bismuth released a heavy breath.  “They deal, kill, whatever, no one has been able to stop them.  To add onto that, the Diamonds have a unique way of marking their actions when they want to let local or federal law enforcement know they’ve had a direct hand in something.  The Soup Bowlers were not torched in a gang rivalry, no, they upset one of the Diamonds.  Come look.”

            Garnet quickly moved to the other side of the desk to see what Bismuth had to show her.  A series of pictures were opened.

            “Each body found at the Soup Bowlers headquarters had this, a diamond shape carved into the middle of their chest.  The coroners were able to determine that the mark had been done antemortem.  On some, it was the cause of death because of how deep it was cut.”

            The curly haired cop swallowed heavily as she looked at the multiple horrid pictures of charred corpses with the same disturbing mark.

            “You can tell which Diamond had the person killed by where on the body the mark is located,” Bismuth continued as she opened another series of pictures.  “White’s is on the forehead, Blue’s is on the chest, though hers tends to be slimmer than Yellow’s, and Pink’s is on the stomach.  Cause of death ranges from a single shot to the forehead, to electrocution, to drownings, or to sliced up bodies.”

            Officer Bailey’s stomach churned at the sight of the many mutilated corpses.  She glanced away for a second to steel her nerves.

            “So how do they all fit in with these discs here?”

            “This little device is not something your average gang leader would think of and have engineered.  My best guess on how it operates is that the plastic container has three holes.  Two that point out 90 degrees from each other, and one that shoots out the top.  Perfect placement to set in a corner and have the gas spray along the walls.  The aluminum ‘T’ and gears probably knock the plugs out of the holes once the timer from the electronic device reaches zero and a spark is made.  What’s inside is some highly flammable gas that’s been compressed and sealed.  And since the main container is made of a thermoplastic, once the fire starts, the thing melts and collapses in on itself, becoming this obscure puddle.”

            Garnet walked back over to her seat and sat down.  She rubbed her forehead, her mind blown away by the turn of events.

            “So which Diamond uses them?”

            “All of them, but some more than others.  These same type of discs were found all over the Soup Bowlers headquarters, which would explain why the place went up in flames so quickly.”

            “And the Diamond responsible for the Soup Bowlers’ demise was Yellow or Blue Diamond?”

            “The assumption, from the appearance of the carvings in the corpses, is that it was done by Yellow Diamond.”

            Officer Bailey leaned forward and rested her chin on her hand.  “Are there any descriptions of the Diamonds?  Any physical features that are known?”

            Bismuth frowned as she searched through her computer for a few minutes.  “Not much.  Like I said evidence disappears, especially if it had a clear or even fuzzy picture of one of them.  They’re also pretty smart, they wouldn’t just go waltzing around while doing their deals, they’re sneaky and covert. However, there have been a few testimonials that haven’t been erased that have given us some basic information on the diamonds.  Let’s see…Blue wears a head covering, and has long white hair, over 6 feet tall.  Described to be in her mid to late forties, so the hair color is either genetic or dyed.  Likes the color blue.”

            “Obviously,” Garnet nodded.

            “Pink, has short spiky hair, but there have been a wide variety of colors given for it.  Also, female, over 6 feet tall, and in her late thirties.  One testimony said that she wore form fitting athletic type of clothes.  Yellow is female, over 6 feet tall, short blonde hair, mid-forties, likes suits, and the color yellow.”

            “Obviously,” Garnet nodded again.

            “As for White, we have the least amount of information on her.  All we do know is that she is female and over 6 feet tall.”

            “I see,” Officer Bailey hummed.

            While all of this information was incredible, something was still missing.  Why would a Diamond want to torch a small mechanic shop in Beach City?  Mr. O’Reilly didn’t have any gang connections, and Pearl was just a cook for a medium sized gang.  What motive was there?  The only result was that Mr. O’Reilly has to rebuild his shop and Pearl was out of a job.

            _And her apartment._

It suddenly clicked.  Garnet slapped the top of her forehead.  Pearl needed a job, she needed money to keep her apartment.  Bismuth raised an eyebrow at her.

            “You ok?”

            “Does one of the Diamonds sell meth?”

            “Yes, Yellow does.  Usually pretty good meth too, she doesn’t mess around with cheap stuff.”

            “Do we know how the Diamonds acquire their drugs?  Is it made in house, or do they contract out?” Officer Bailey spoke quickly.

            “We don’t know, but I think most of it is contracted out, they get a deal for buying in bulk, and the drug makers have a consistent client.  Though one you wouldn’t want to disappoint.”

            “What if she was being contacted to make it again, but how would one of them even know about her?  Especially after all these years,” Garnet spoke to herself.

            “What are you rambling on about?”

            “I’m not sure,” the younger cop shrugged.  “In the fire I was talking about, one of the people affected by it was a former meth cook.  It’s a stretch, but would it be crazy to think Yellow Diamond would torch a row of shops to just make someone work for her?”

            Bismuth hummed and reclined in her chair.  “How good of a meth cook are we talking about?”

            “Honestly, I have no idea.”

            “Do you know who any of their previous customers might have been?”

            “No,” Garnet shook her head.

            “Well then maybe you should go talk to them.  Find out who they sold to and if they know anything about one of the Diamonds.  Hopefully they do talk to you,” the woman with dreadlocks finished with an unsure expression.

            “I hope so too.  Thanks Bismuth,” the curly haired cop smiled as she stood up and extended her hand for a shake.  “I knew coming to you was a good idea.  I’ve got a potential lead on this nearly impossible case.  Now I can ask the right questions.”

            “I’m glad!  Are you going to head out now?”

            “Unfortunately, gotta get back and talk to my informant.”

            “Well don’t let me hold you back,” Bismuth encouraged with a wave of her hand.

            Officer Bailey was about to say farewell when her work phone went off.  She held up a finger to Bismuth.

            “Officer Bailey.  Yes.  What?!  Are you serious?  And there were a couple of witnesses and pictures?  Was there a note left?  No.  Ok, yes, I’ll be right over.”  Garnet breathed out heavily and laced her fingers behind her bun, leaning her head against them for a moment while she stared out the nearby window at the late evening sky.

            “What is going on?” Bismuth asked, concern laced in her voice.

            “Two residents of Beach City have been kidnapped.”

            “What the hell is going on over there?!”  Bismuth exclaimed.

            “I’d like to know too,” Garnet helplessly shrugged.  “I really have to go now, thanks again for your help.”

            “Anytime,” Bismuth smiled as she stood up to give Garnet a quick hug.

            “See ya later,” the curly haired woman waved as she quickly walked out of the station.

            After the long drive, Officer Bailey arrived at the Beach City precinct in just under three hours at 9:48pm.  Garnet pushed open the door and strode into the station.

            “What took you so long?!” Captain Green growled as she met her a few feet from the door.

            “I was in Jersey speaking to Officer Bismuth about the arson case when you called.”

            Amber eyes rolled around in their sockets.  “Did it help?”

            “She was able to give me some information that will help us solve the arson case, but that will have to wait.  Where are the families?” Garnet used a quieter voice for the last sentence.

            “They are in the front,” Jasper motioned with her thumb.  “Had to pull out all the chairs we could find so more of them could have a seat.”

            Covered eyes looked in the direction.  Sitting in the front area of the police station was Greg Universe, Peridot Sanders, and the entire Perez family.  Amethyst’s many older sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles were sitting, talking quietly, and comforting their mom and dad and each other.  Worry for the youngest of the family was very evident.  A couple of them were next to Greg, but no words were being exchanged.  Peridot was typing away on her laptop, while four of Amethyst’s cousins looked over her shoulder with their phones out as well.  In the middle there was a full, small, trashcan overflowing with used tissues.  Garnet clenched her jaw and exhaled heavily.  She hadn’t been expecting this at all.  Amethyst and Steven, two good friends of hers and Pearl…Her gut told her that she needed to talk to Pearl now more than ever.  It was time for an open and honest conversation about the thin woman’s previous work.

            “Here is the little traffic video we caught of the car driving away.  From what Kofi told us it happened a little after six, my guess is that they were waiting for it to get dark so it would be harder to identify them.  Amethyst and Steven had been hanging out by the beach when an unidentified car stopped nearby.  Three large figures jumped out, grabbed them, and drove away.  Mr. Pizza said the two made some noise and resisted, but before he or anyone else could help them, they were gone.  He did get a couple of pictures, Ronaldo got a video too.”

            Officer Bailey refocused and watched the few small videos.  Black, common car, no license plates, tinted windows.  Three burly figures dressed in black rushed the two, a small smirk of satisfaction appeared on her face when she saw Amethyst take a couple of swings at them.  In seconds, the teenagers were dragged back into the already moving vehicle.  Garnet pinched the bridge of her nose.  They needed to find a way to get the two back before it was too late.

            “And there was no ransom note left?”

            “Nope, nothing.  The Perez’s and Mr. Universe haven’t received any sort of contact,” Jasper shook her head.

            The curly haired cop looked at the families again, watching Officer Lazuli walk around offering tissues and some random snacks.

            “Can I speak with them?” she directed to her superior.

            Jasper silently nodded.

            “Thanks.”

            Garnet walked over to where the two families were.  Glum faces turned to watch her as she approached them, Peridot briefly glanced up from her laptop.  Garnet had forgotten how small Amethyst was compared to her family members, yet they all had the same tan skin, wild thick hair, strong limbs, and mischievous streak.  She had no comforting words to offer, only a silent bow of her head.  Officer Bailey faced Greg.  The man was staring at the tile floor, tear streaks on his cheeks, and a used tissue resting in his limp hands.  For the first time, Greg actually looked his age.  Gone was his cheerful demeanor, leaving an exhausted, grief stricken, middle-aged man.  Garnet crouched down in front of him.

            “Mr. Universe, may I ask you a question?”

            Eyes slowly raised up to look at her sunglasses.  He shrugged.

            “Thank you.  Do you know where Pearl is?”

            A nod.  “She’s at the house, she didn’t want to come to the station,” Greg glumly responded.

            “Thank you Greg,” she rested a hand on his shoulder.  “We are going to get both Steven and Amethyst back as soon as possible.”

            “Do you guys know where they are?” one of Amethyst’s sisters spoke up.

            Officer Bailey stood up and faced them.  “We are going to do everything we can to find them and get them back.”

            They all solemnly nodded.  Garnet quickly went back to where Jasper and Lapis were conversing.

            “Peridot Sanders informed me that she’s posting descriptions and pictures of Amethyst and Steven online, listing the time of their kidnap and the description of the car that took them.  She’s posting it to any social media site and encouraging everyone she is connected with to do the same.  Amethyst’s cousins are working to spread the posts as well,” Lapis informed.

            Jasper nodded.  “Maybe we’ll get some tip from someone on where the car might have headed.”

            “I’m going over to Greg’s house to talk to Pearl Meyers.  Hopefully, I shouldn’t be too long,” Garnet spoke up.

            “And why would you need to be going to talk to your ex-girlfriend now of all times?” Captain Green growled.

            The dark cop exhaled.  “I believe that the arson and this kidnapping case might be related.  But I won’t know for sure until I have a talk with Pearl.”

            Jasper and Lapis shared an unconvinced look.

            “When I was talking to Bismuth she told me of four Drug Lords called the Diamonds.  Those discs I found in the shops, they turned out to be the devices used to start the fires,” Garnet quickly explained as she pulled out the devices and showed the ones that had been carved away by Bismuth.  “The Diamonds use these type of devices.”

            “So a Diamond is torching our shops, but why?” the muscular captain frowned as she inspected the evidence.

            “Well, one of them deals in meth, and you now know that Pearl did once cook meth.”

            “And you’re thinking that the arson and kidnapping are both meant to affect Pearl?  That’s one hell of a leap of logic there Bailey.”

            “What other type of individual would be so bold to torch four shops and kidnap two people?  I won’t be gone that long, if anything I can get some evidence on the arson and then help you with the kidnapping.  And if I’m right, we could save a lot of time in trying to figure out where Steven and Amethyst might have been taken.”

            The sandy haired woman sighed.  “Fine, go speak with Pearl, but as soon as you know she knows nothing about the kidnapping, I want you back here immediately.”

            “Deal,” Garnet agreed.

            “I’m also sending Lazuli with you,” Jasper added.  “You’re not doing anything without backup.”

            The curly haired cop sighed.  “Fine.  Lapis, let’s go,” she shouted as she turned and walked towards the exit out to the parking lot.

            “Righto Captaino,” Lapis mock saluted as she ran after the dark cop.

            Jasper groaned and put her face in her hand.

            The two cops wordlessly drove to Greg’s house in a matter of minutes.

            “You can come up with me, but it would be best if I talked to Pearl privately, she’s less likely to talk if there’s more of us,” Garnet spoke up as she parked the car.

            “You sure she’s even going to want to talk to you?”

            “She needs to,” was all Garnet said through gritted teeth as she got out of the car.

            The thin cop followed her across the sand, up the stairs, but stayed outside in the cold weather when Garnet entered through the unlocked front door.  Covered eyes quickly scanned the area as her ears picked up the sounds of Pearl cursing and shuffling around in the game room turned temporary bedroom on the second floor.  Silently she walked up the stairs and watched the pale woman as she was stuffing things into a backpack.

            “Leaving?” Officer Bailey spoke up.

            Pearl whirled around to face her, eyes bloodshot most likely from crying.  The woman muttered something under her breath and opened another drawer in her small dresser.

            “Where are you going?” Garnet said as she walked into the room.

            “Nowhere that is a concern of yours,” Pearl bit out.

            “Are you sure?”

            “Yes!”

            “Why are you leaving?  Steven and Amethyst just got kidnapped.”

            “I know!” the pale woman shouted.  “Of course I fucking know that, how could I not know?” she muttered as she moved to another area of the room.

            “And you’re just going to leave?  Why?” Garnet pressed.

            “I don’t have a choice!” Pearl burst out.

            “On what?”

            “Look, I tried ok?  I tried leaving that life behind, but I have to go,” was her cryptic response.

            “Pearl, tell me what’s going on.  Let us help.”

            “US?!  You can’t help, there’s nothing you can do!” the woman spun around and shouted.

            “How do you know that?  You haven’t even tried asking us for help.  Tell me Pearl, what is going on?”

            “There’s nothing you can do!” Pearl repeated.  “She’s too powerful, she has them, and I have to go.”

            “Who?!”

            “No one,” the thin woman quickly pulled back.

            “Pearl,” the dark cop said with exasperation.

            Pearl remained silent.

            “Is it Yellow Diamond?” Garnet tried, silently hoping her assumptions were correct while dreading if they were confirmed by Pearl.

            “What?!”  Light blue eyes widened briefly in shock before narrowing.

            “Yellow Diamond, the Drug Lord, a possible suspect for the arson of the mechanic shop.  Would she kidnap Steven and Amethyst?”

            “I…”

            “Please tell me Pearl, do you have a connection to any of the Diamonds?  Do you know of anyone who would want to hurt Steven or Amethyst?  We can help, but if you shut us out we can’t help you.”

            Pearl stared at the floor.  Slowly her hands released the backpack she was holding and sat heavily on her bed nearby.

            She let out a long sigh, “Back when I was part of the Rose Thorns, we made meth for a number of customers.  Most of them were for our own dealers who sold on the streets, and some for other dealers that lived nearby.  However,” Pearl paused.  “The vast majority of all the meth I made was for one customer.  Yellow Diamond.”

            Garnet swallowed thickly.  This was one of the few times she wished she hadn’t been on the right track.

            “When the Rose Thorns suffered the huge loss at the warehouse, Yellow Diamond offered to let me join her and keep making meth for her.  I turned her down.  After that I cut off all contact and moved here.  Or so I thought…A few weeks ago, Yellow Diamond approached me again, offering me the same thing.  I turned her down once more, and then the shop was set on fire.  She visited me again, extending the offer one last time,” Pearl stared blankly out at the far wall.  “I refused and she left.  I thought I was finally done with her, but then this happened.  I have to give myself up in exchange for them.”

            Officer Bailey took a moment to soak in all the information.  If the timeline all matched up, then it was highly probable that Miss Fancy Pants, as Amethyst liked to call the woman, who was talking to Pearl that one Saturday was either Yellow Diamond or a representative.

            _Fuck…_

            “Giving yourself up isn’t the answer,” Garnet stated.

            “It’s the only option Garnet!” Pearl rebutted.  “She will not accept anything else, and there is no way in hell that we could ever find them before she does who knows what to those two!  You can’t help!”

            “And playing right into her hands won’t help either,” Garnet countered.

            Pearl didn’t respond, she just stood back up and resumed packing her bag.

            “I want to help Pearl, we all do.  If we work together and share information we can get them back and you don’t have to go back to cooking.”

            Pearl stopped and faced Garnet.  “You have no idea who you’re dealing with.  I know what she is capable of and to what ends she will go to to get what she wants!”

            “And giving her exactly what she wants is a smart idea?  Where’s your bargaining power?”

            “I don’t have any bargaining power!  She has them and I can only act as an exchange.  If I agree to work for her, she’ll let them go.”

            “Did she send you a note or a contract with that deal?”

            “N-no, but I know that’s what the deal is,” the strawberry blonde glanced to the side.

            “Then what’s going to guarantee she will release them once she has you?”

            “I-I…she…” Pearl stammered.

            “If Yellow Diamond is as determined as you’ve described her as, why would she willingly give up her leverage on you?”

            Bloodshot eyes fell to the wooden flooring.  Pale hands tightly gripped the backpack they were holding as the thin woman understood.  Covered eyes took in the helpless figure.

            “Trust me,” Garnet tried.  “Even if it’s just a fraction above nothing, trust me that if we work together with all of the other cops we can get Steven and Amethyst back.  Don’t go alone, if you do, Yellow Diamond will win.”

            Pearl looked up and sniffled as fresh tears ran down her cheeks.  Officer Bailey was suddenly enveloped in a tight hug.  She almost jerked back in both surprise and caution, but held relatively still.  She returned the hug with one arm, while the other checked that her gun was still in its holster.

            “We’ll get them back, I promise,” Garnet whispered into Pearl’s ear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who guessed Steven and Amethyst? Duh nuh nuh. Time to make a plan and try and get those two back. There's no stopping the train now.
> 
> A cool picture that reminds me of Garnet trying to search Pearl in Chapter 4 by FuckingStevenUniverse. https://fuckingstevenuniverse.tumblr.com/post/158603240691/based-on-a-scene-in-the-fanfiction-smoke-and
> 
> A sweet duo shot of our two ex-lovers by draw-ology.  
> https://draw-ology.tumblr.com/post/156109031106/rough-around-the-edges-but-inspired-by-the
> 
> :D


	24. Making a Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read the bottom note!
> 
> Also, enjoy the chapter :)

^^^^^^

Beach City’s police force discusses the best option for rescuing Amethyst and Steven from Yellow Diamond.

^^^^^^

 

            Light blue eyes moved from one individual to the next as they all sat around in the chairs pulled into a circle with a couple of pop-up tables placed in the middle to hold papers, evidence, laptops, etc.  It had been a long few hours and she felt like a lone antelope in the midst of a bunch of lionesses.  Jasper, Lapis, Sugilite, Garnet, and Bismuth were in active conversation as they talked over the various possible ways to find and rescue Steven and Amethyst from Yellow Diamond.  Officer Bismuth had been called in by Garnet.  The woman evidently had been working on cases revolving around the Diamonds and had some potentially useful information along with being someone Garnet trusted.  Since Beach City’s police department was small, Jasper welcomed the extra pair of hands to help with the emergency.  Pearl squirmed in her seat trying not to accidentally make eye contact with the stocky woman with dreadlocks again.  Since Officer Bismuth’s arrival and subsequent meeting of Pearl, the woman had regarded her with caution and suspicion.  Right now the woman was staring Pearl down as if she were a puzzle that needed to be figured out.  Pearl shifted her seat ever so slightly closer to Garnet, whether or not the curly haired cop noticed was the least of Pearl’s concerns right now.  The pale woman knew Garnet worked with someone named Bismuth back in Jersey, and the name had appeared in Garnet’s retelling of their breakup.  If the dots were put together, Pearl was sure to be in hotter water than she already was.  Light blue eyes traveled over to Jasper who was debating with Sugilite.

            “We can’t get any federal assistance right now because we have no solid proof that Yellow Diamond even has them!  All we have is an assumption made by one cop and a former meth cook.”

            “A meth cook who used to do business with Yellow Diamond and stated that she was visited by the woman two times in the past few weeks!” Sugilite countered.  “We are going to need federal help if we are going to bust in and get Steven and Amethyst out.”

            “We don’t even know where they are, if we jump in she might hurt them, or worse,” Jasper reminded.  “We have to manage this in a way that we can locate them, and come up with a well thought-out plan to get them out.  If there is going to be any busting in, it would have to be quick and on point!”

            “What are your thoughts Garnet?” Sugilite directed to the stoic cop.  “We can’t do this on our own, we need to get more help than just another cop from another city.  No offense Officer Bismuth.”

            “None taken,” the woman with dreadlocks waved off.

            Thick lips were pursed for a moment as Officer Bailey contemplated her answer.  “Bismuth explained that the Diamonds have many sources and allies, including corrupt cops and politicians.  We don’t know who is in their pocket and who is not.  We also have no actual evidence that Steven and Amethyst are with Yellow Diamond.  Federal assistance will slow us down and potentially blow any element of surprise we might have.  I think it is best that we stick with the cops and individuals we know we can trust.”

            “And you seriously think that bringing her onboard with this is a good idea?” Jasper motioned to Pearl.

            “Pearl has first-hand knowledge of the kidnapper and is also an asset that Yellow Diamond does want to acquire.  She will be very helpful in this.  If anyone is going to be able to contact the Drug Lord, it will be her.”

            “I’m not talking about her being useful to the case, I’m talking about us being able to trust her, specifically you.” Captain Green pointed a finger at Garnet.

            Officer Bailey pulled back slightly in surprise.  Pearl felt her gut sink.

            _This isn’t going good…_

“Can you trust her?  You’re her ex.  Can she even trust us?”           

            “THAT’S IT!” Bismuth exclaimed as she jumped out of her seat; a large fist slamming down on the table.  “You’re Pearl Meyers, Garnet’s ex-girlfriend!  I knew there was something familiar about you,” she lowly stated as she pointed a finger at Pearl.

            _Shit…_

“You two dated back in Jersey,” Bismuth continued.  “No wonder I was confused when Jasper asked me about your meth informant,” she directed to Garnet, “and now it comes full circle.  You were dating a meth cook, not only that but the meth cook from the Rose Thorns, the one we’ve been looking for all these years!  How long have you been covering for her?!”

            “I-I didn’t know when we were dating!  That’s why we broke up!”

            “So why didn’t you turn her in?”

            “I-I-I couldn’t!  I-”

            Garnet’s breathing was increasing, her hand gripping her right thigh tightly.  Pearl’s eyes widened in concern.  She wanted to reach out and put a comforting hand on the dark woman’s back or something, something to help her calm down.  The pale woman steeled her nerves.

            “She gave me a second chance to make something better of myself,” Pearl decided to speak up.

            Captain Green laughed.  “You sure made good use of that.”

            “How did you two break up?  I know it happened around the same time the Rose Thorns were shut down,” Bismuth pressed.

            “That doesn’t matter right now,” Garnet forced out as her breaths evened out.  “We are getting off topic, we need to focus on getting Steven and Amethyst back.”

            Bismuth grumbled and was about to continue when Jasper cut in.

            “And I want to know if we can trust each other!” the sandy haired woman demanded.  “Can you trust her, Garnet?”

            Heavy silence fell on the table as everyone waited for Officer Bailey’s response.

            “Yes.”

            Pearl stared at Garnet in shock.

            “I trust that Pearl will do everything she can to help us get Steven and Amethyst back to their families.”

            Bismuth sat back down and folded her thick arms across her chest.

            “So Garnet trusts her, but what about the rest of us?” Sugilite spoke up.  “I know for one that Pearl has been nothing but a pain in the ass since she moved here and only looks out for herself.  I don’t care if she knows Yellow Diamond and is the desired asset, going after that woman to get Steven and Amethyst back while having to rely on Pearl as my backup would be suicidal.”  The officer faced the pale woman.  “Do you even know how to shoot a gun or fight?  Can you be covert and do detective work?  Will you keep searching or fighting even when all seems lost?  Will you take care of those of us who are with you and watch our backs?  Or will you throw us under the bus when push comes to shove?”

            Pearl opened her mouth and then closed it, pausing to think through her response.

            “I can run through a few physical tests if you want.  I’m handy with a switchblade and can shoot a handgun fairly well.  As for being covert, I was in a gang for several years and learned how to sneak around, make up stories or excuses on the fly, and locate and avoid security systems.”

            “What about everything else?” Jasper stepped in.  “You do realize that all of us in Yellow Diamond’s eyes are nothing more than some pests to be removed.  Anything goes wrong, we’ll be the ones dead, not you.”

            The pale woman scratched her head and grumbled.  Once again her past deeds were coming back to bite her in the ass.

            “Look.  I can’t make you all trust me.  And none of you have a good reason to.  However, please trust me when I say this: I will do whatever it takes to get Amethyst and Steven back.”

            Silence followed the statement as none of the officers made a comment.

            “I know how to work on a team, I did plenty of that back when I was part of the Rose Thorns.  You’re just going to have to take a chance with me.”

            Each of the cops looked at each other, a silent conversation passing between them.

            “So how are we going to get them back?  Bailey, I assume you’ve had some idea cooking in your head, right?” Jasper directed towards the mentioned officer.

            “I do,” Garnet paused.  “Yellow Diamond wants Pearl, and as a result, Pearl is the one with the highest probability of getting into Yellow Diamond’s area safely.  If Yellow Diamond wanted to kill Pearl, she would have already done so.  From what Pearl has told us about Yellow Diamond’s visits to her, they were all in person, while in Beach City, and she wasn’t overly covert about it.  So, the woman definitely is very confident and possibly arrogant as well, which will play to our advantage.  I suggest that an undercover team goes into Yellow Diamond’s domain posing as new recruits and use that as a way to locate Amethyst and Steven, and get them out of there.”

            “What?!” Bismuth shouted.  “That’s crazy talk!  There’s no way a whole team would get in without raising a giant red flag.”

            “I didn’t finish,” Officer Bailey cut back in.  “The team that goes in will be two people, with supporting officers remaining on the outside acting as communication and assistants for the escape.  Two will be much easier to get in, especially if one of them is Pearl.  The other can be her backup or personal guard or something.”

            “The other person is you, isn’t it?” Lapis spoke up.

            Garnet swallowed.  “I am the most ideal candidate.”

            “And why not any of us?” Jasper objected.  “We all are just as good of cops, hell we’d probably be better actors than you.”

            “Jasper, you are the head of police in Beach City, it would be easy to notice that you are gone, plus you are easily recognizable, along with Bismuth.  You two have been in the force much longer than anyone else here.”

            “What about Lapis or Sugilite?” Bismuth added.

            “I don’t want to go undercover,” Officer Lazuli quickly stated.  “I’m not suicidal.”

            “And Sugilite and I…don’t get along…there’s trust issues…obviously,” Pearl added as she sat back and folded her arms across her chest.  “Garnet is the ideal choice here.  We know each other well enough and can work together.”

            “Like I’m supposed to believe that?” Jasper barked out a laugh.  “You two have been at each other’s throats since day one.”

            “We have a common goal, we can set aside our personal differences and history for that,” Garnet said through gritted teeth.

            “I don’t like it,” Bismuth shook her head.  “It’s too risky, there’s too many unknowns, and how will you even contact Yellow Diamond to begin with?  Or is the woman just going to come by and pick up Pearl one day?”

            Eyes were focused on Pearl once again.  The thin woman swallowed thickly.

            “I don’t have an explicit means of contacting Yellow Diamond.  She didn’t leave me an address or phone number or anything.”

            “Then how are we even going to get the whole operation started?!” Sugilite emoted.

            “I know the general area where her base of operations is.  If we search around there and talk to some of her dealers, we will find her.  And/or she’ll find us once word gets to her that I’m looking to contact her.”

            “Real comforting.  I’m just loving this plan of yours Garnet,” Sugilite sarcastically commented.

            “Do we really have any other options?” Garnet snapped back.

            “We could, if we got more help.  Someone’s gotta know where the woman is hiding.”

            “That would take time and we risk alerting Yellow Diamond of our plans to get Steven and Amethyst back.  Pearl,” Garnet turned towards the pale woman.  “How long do you think it would take to contact Yellow Diamond if we went with your method?”

            “A day, tops.  The lady doesn’t like to waste time, as soon as she hears that I’m looking for her, she’ll appear or contact me.”

            The officers looked at each other, doubt evident in many of their expressions.

            “Need I remind you that I worked with this woman for years?!” Pearl emphasized.  “I know how she operates.  She’s got a huge information network that is both fast and accurate.  Word gets to her and she acts accordingly.”

            “Alright!  Fine!” Jasper put her hands up in brief surrender.  “So, we have a plan to get in.  How are you two going to get out with Steven and Amethyst?”

            “We will formulate a few potential plans before we head in, but we will need to improvise once inside.  There are too many unknown variables, so adapting to the situation and taking advantage of any opportunities will be key.  The main priority of this is rescuing Steven and Amethyst.”

            Sugilite leaned back in her chair and sent a glance towards Bismuth.

            “Got any more grievances you want to make known?”

            “Many, but I know that I’m not going to be able to change Bailey’s mind.”

            “It’s the best we can do with only the six of us,” Jasper stepped in.  “The clock’s ticking and I’m sure if Pearl doesn’t respond to Yellow Diamond before too long something else will happen.  We’ll use the Drug Lord’s arrogance and infiltrate her base or complex or whatever it is.  Then we’ll find the two scoundrels and get them out.  Garnet and Pearl, it’s going to be on you two.”

            Garnet and Pearl exchanged a glance.

            “We will,” Garnet stated.

            The next couple of hours were spent laying out the plan.  Garnet and Pearl were to go in together and become members of Yellow Diamond’s gang.  Pearl would then cook meth to keep the dangerous woman happy and her suspicions low.  If negotiations for Yellow Diamond to willingly release the two failed, Garnet and Pearl would covertly search for and locate Steven and Amethyst.  Once found they were to be extracted at a time of low activity and transported to Bismuth or Sugilite who would also be undercover nearby the location.  Communication would be kept to simple text messages on simple smart phones.  Code names were agreed upon.

            Jasper = Cheeto Puff

            Lapis = Water Witch

            Sugilite = Nikki

            Steven = The Star

            Amethyst = Purple Puma

            Bismuth = Rainbow Hair

            Pearl = Party Hat

            Garnet = Captain Square

            The cell phones also doubled for tracking the pair so the women on the outside could remain nearby and be alerted of any drastic changes.  They were given one day to get ready and head out for Yellow Diamond’s domain.  Pearl and Garnet agreed that Garnet’s fake cover would be Cherise Walker, a friend of Pearl’s that had wanted to get in with one of the Diamonds.  Pearl would be extending the invitation so she knew someone there instead of being surrounded by a bunch of people she doesn’t know or trust.  Garnet’s car would be used for their transportation, after the license plates had been switched out to fake ones registered under Cherise Walker.  They would bring one backpack each full of items and clothes they would need for the stay.  At the end of the meeting, Garnet, Bismuth, and Jasper ran Pearl through a number of physical and mental tests.  The first stop was the shooting range, with the second being a small obstacle course, the third a number of problem solving questions, and finally a couple of one on one sparring matches.  To all of the officers’ surprise, Pearl did well in two of the tests, and only struggled with the obstacle course and sparring matches because she tired quickly.  While her training wasn’t as extensive as theirs, she was skilled enough to be acceptable backup.

 

            Bismuth sighed heavily as her fingers worked skillfully to pull the curly hair into tight, half inch thick cornrows that fed to the crown of Garnet’s head.  Garnet sat in front of the stocky woman silently as her usual afro was braided in preparation to be wrapped into a twisted bun.  The atmosphere was thick around the two former partners.  Another braid was completed and another was started.

            “It feels just like yesterday I was talking to this fast punk on the streets, trying to encourage her to not cause so much trouble,” Bismuth thought out loud.  “Who knew she would one day be a cop like me, and end up saving my life more than once.  And now, I’m doing that same punk’s hair as she gets ready to head undercover for yet another mission.”

            Large hands trembled slightly as they held strands of thick curly hair pulled taut.  Garnet reached up to grasp one of Bismuth’s hands.

            “I wish I could go with you in there.  We know how to work together, we’ve done it so many times.  There’s no way we could fail.”

            “You’ll be there, just on the outside.”

            “I know.  I just don’t like it,” Bismuth openly admitted.  “Sure, we tested Pearl, we have a plan set up, but even then, it’s too dangerous.  So many things could go wrong.  You might not get out.”

            “I know.”

            “Then why?!  You’ve known those kids for what, a year?  Not even!  Your mothers have almost lost you once, they wouldn’t be able to stand it if…”

            “Bismuth, this is the best option we have within the time and personnel constraints.”

            “But even then, why not let Jasper or Sugilite go instead of you?  They’ve been here longer, they know Steven and Amethyst better.  You’re the new one here and you’re the one going?”

            “If there was someone else who could work with Pearl as well or even better than I, then I would let them go.  However, that is not the case.  I am the best option.”

“Pearl…” the woman with dreadlocks grumbled.  “I finally get to meet your ex-girlfriend and it’s in a meeting to go rescue two teenagers that have been kidnapped by Yellow Diamond because the lady wants your ex-girlfriend to make meth for her.  Not only that but it turns out she’d been cooking meth for the Rose Thorns the entire time you two had been dating!  No wonder I was suspicious of her!”

            Garnet frowned.

            “And she’s going to be the one watching your back in there?  I don’t like it.”

            “You’re not required to.  We have our assignments and our mission objective.  Steven and Amethyst are the priority.  Pearl and I are secondary.”

            “What do you mean by that?” Bismuth inquired.

            “If Amethyst and Steven are rescued, but there is no hope for either Pearl or I to get out, then I will be ok with that.”

            “How can you say that?!” Bismuth hoarsely exclaimed.

            “Pearl and I already talked about it and decided if it came down to that, then we were ok with it.  They both have their lives ahead of them.  Pearl said she doesn’t have much more than those two and-”

            “And you have your family, all of us, there’s much more for you to come back for!  I don’t want you to be talking like you’re going to die.”

            “Bismuth, if it comes to making sure Steven and Amethyst are safe and if coming back for me compromises that, then I want you to make sure Steven and Amethyst are safe.”

            The woman with dreadlocks shook her head and finished up another braid as tears slowly ran down her round cheeks.

            “Bismuth…promise me.”

            “I can’t!” the woman breathed out heavily.  “You can’t make me.”

            “Please, Bismuth,” Garnet tried again.

            Tense silence passed between them as Bismuth finished creating the cornrows in Garnet’s hair and expertly twisted them up into the bun.  Several bobby pins were used to help keep everything in place.  With her hair complete Garnet stood up and faced her former partner.  The stocky woman quickly brushed the tears off her cheeks.

            “You better have one hell of a bulletproof plan so all of you get out,” she finally stated.

            “I’ll have my sunglasses,” Garnet smirked as she put them on.

            “Don’t you take them off, ever,” Bismuth stated firmly.

            “I won’t.”

            A sharp knock came at the door.  Garnet walked over and answered it.  Pearl walked in with her backpack slung over one shoulder and wearing her usual attire.

            “Are you packed yet?” was the thin woman’s greeting.

            “Almost, just gotta finish picking out the clothes I’ll be bringing.”

            “Let me help you with that.”

            Bismuth frowned.  “Garnet can pick out her own clothes.”

            “And I know what thugs and gang members dress like,” Pearl snapped back.  “We don’t want you coming off as a professional or being taken too seriously.  What do you have planned?”

            Garnet motioned for Pearl to follow her into her bedroom.  Laid out were a few sets of worn jeans, some graphic t-shirts, a couple of flannel plaid shirts, a thick maroon zip-up hoodie, a pair of purple converse high tops, and a set of steel toed boots.  The pale woman tapped her bottom lip with her pointer finger.

            “These will do for a good cover.  If Yellow Diamond doesn’t approve she will probably send you out to get better clothes.  As for when we meet her, you should wear the boots, these ripped skinny jeans, this white graphic t-shirt, and the maroon hoodie.”

            The dark woman nodded in agreement.  “Just so you know I’ll be packing my Glock handgun and ammo for it.  It would be silly for a wannabe gangster to not have a gun.”

            “Good to know.  I also brought my handgun and ammo.  Had to clean it up a bit, but it’s working smoothly now.  Tomorrow we drive out.  I know of a location that should help us get ahold of her.  After that I’m sure it won’t be too long before we're there.”  Pearl breathed out heavily and looked to the side.  “Would it be ok if I slept up in the guest room tonight?  That way we can head out without disturbing anyone.”

            “Yeah, go ahead.”

            “Thanks.”

            Pearl walked out of the room and headed up the stairs.  Bismuth walked into the room as Garnet finished packing her backpack.  The two hugged each other tightly.

            “Take care, Bailey.  I’ll be seeing you again soon,” the stocky woman said, her voice tight with emotion.

            “You will,” Garnet agreed.

            Bismuth brushed away her tears and left with a farewell.  Garnet glanced down at her outfit for the next day and her backpack.  She checked her wallet for her fake driver’s license and cash.  With a flick of her wrist the lights were turned off and she got into her bed.  A heavy breath was pushed out of her lungs, she had no idea if sleep would come to her at all tonight.

 

            Sharp ears heard the thump of heavy footsteps coming up the stairs over the sound of the air pump filling up the blow-up mattress.  Pearl plugged the opening and stood up.

            “I figured I’d just pull things out myself, since I know where they are,” she spoke to the other person who had just arrived in the room.

            “I’m sure Garnet won’t mind,” Bismuth’s voice came from behind the pale woman.

            Pearl whirled around to face the woman with dreadlocks, her heart rate spiking.  She breathed out heavily to try and calm herself.

            “I thought it was Garnet who was coming up the stairs,” she admitted.

            “No, she’s heading to bed.  It’s always a good idea to try and get some rest before going undercover.”

            “Yeah…right,” Pearl nodded.  “I know I’m not going to get much sleep.”

            Bismuth absentmindedly nodded and folded her arms across her chest.

            “You’re going to watch out for her right?  Protect her?”

            The thin woman looked up at the other.  “Of course, we won’t succeed if we don’t take care of each other.”

            The woman with dreadlocks nodded again, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration.  Pearl waited for whatever Bismuth was going to say.

            “I don’t like you,” Bismuth grumbled.  “I never did, well in the beginning I didn’t mind you.” She breathed out.  “Garnet told me about you, when you two were sleeping together and eventually dating.  She was happy, most of the time, and there were things that bothered her about you, but she never went into any detail.  Seeing as how you were a meth cook the whole time, it makes sense why you never wanted to tell her what your job was.”

            Pearl remained silent, opting to not accidentally say something that would steer the conversation towards their breakup.

            “I don’t know what I want to say to you,” Bismuth sighed.  “I’ve imagined several times the moment when I would meet you and demand from you all the answers on why you would break Garnet’s heart like that.  But that’s not relevant right now.  What is important is that the two of you are able to work together, rescue Steven and Amethyst, and get out of there.”

            Grey eyes fixed light blue ones with a stern gaze.

            “So I’m trusting you as much as I can with Garnet’s life.  She means a lot to many people.  Got it?”

            “Yes,” Pearl quickly nodded.

            Bismuth nodded along with her.  “Alright, good.  I’m going to leave now, you two get some rest and then tomorrow we’ll get this rescue mission started.  Good luck.”

            “Thanks.”

            Pearl watched the stocky woman descend the stairs.  She fell back onto the mattress and let out a heavy sigh.  A few seconds later the sound of the front door shutting and locking were heard.  Sleep wasn’t going to come.  The pale woman rolled onto her side and forced her eyes to close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say that Garnet's choice of hairstyle was just to adjust her usual appearance, (Something that is common for undercover cops to do.) and for Garnet to have an awesome, different hairstyle. It is not because I think cornrows are associated with criminal activity. Cornrows are very common.
> 
> If you have any questions for me, feel free to let me know.
> 
> Duh nuh nuh. We have Pearl and Garnet working together and going into Yellow Diamond's base. What could go wrong?


	25. Into the Diamond's Den

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What lies ahead for Garnet and Pearl in Yellow Diamond's base? If...they get in.

^^^^^^

Garnet and Pearl infiltrate Yellow Diamond’s ranks in hopes to rescue Steven and Amethyst.

^^^^^^

 

            A large hand slipped under reflective sunglasses to rub one eye as she sat on one of the barstools drinking a cup of coffee.  Sleep didn’t come last night.  Garnet frowned as she stared down at the dark liquid.  It didn’t matter, they moved out today.  Footsteps on the stairway informed her that Pearl was awake as well.

            “There’s coffee in the pot,” she greeted the thin woman.

            “Got any cream or sugar?”

            “No cream, sugar’s in the cabinet.”

            Pearl grumbled as she took the mug sitting by the coffee pot and filled it with the bitter liquid.

            “I’ve never understood why you drink your coffee like that,” light blue eyes glanced over the various cabinets, trying to deduce which one would have the sugar inside.

            “It’s on the right side of the refrigerator, bottom half, middle shelf,” Garnet supplied.

            Pearl opened it up and found the canister full of granulated sugar.

            “Thanks, Garnet.”

            “It’s Cherise.”

            “What?” Pearl raised an eyebrow.

            “It’s Cherise,” Garnet repeated.

            “Seriously?  We’re still in your house.”

            “Better to start using it now, the fewer slip-ups the better.”

            “Give me a break, you don’t even have to worry about switching names,” the pale woman complained.

            “And you don’t have to worry about Yellow Diamond killing you,” Garnet fired back.

            The pale woman pursed her lips and glared at a random spot off to the side.  “Fine.  Thank you, Cherise.”

            “You’re welcome,” Garnet nodded as she finished her drink.

            They loaded up Garnet’s car a half an hour later, their breath coming out as puffs in the cold winter morning.  Pearl raised an eyebrow as Garnet loaded a crate full of apples, oranges, carrots, and other fruits and vegetables.

            “You’re joking right?” Pearl asked as Garnet moved to the driver’s door.

            “What?”

            “Food?  Of all the things to bring, you bring a bunch of food?  She’s just going to toss it.”

            “From what I remember, you had me bringing food to you several times a week for a month when you were busy at work.  I may be going undercover, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to eat like shit.  Get in,” the woman with the braided bun stated then plopped into the driver’s seat.

            Pearl slapped her face with her hand and grumbled.  She shoved her hands into her leather jacket pockets and shuffled over to the passenger side.  After she sat down and buckled herself in, she lit a cigarette.  Garnet frowned but didn’t do anything aside from roll Pearl’s window down.  The green Honda Accord rolled out of the driveway and headed towards the freeways.

            “Where to?” the dark woman asked.

            “Head to Empire City.”

            Garnet nodded.  The drive was long and filled with traffic, tolls, a bathroom break, and an eclectic assortment of music found on the radio.  The woman with the braided bun wished she had brought some of her mixed CDs.  By the time the sun was setting, the bright city came into view.

            “Where to?”

            “Just keep driving, I’ll tell you when to turn,” Pearl said as she stared out the window.

            Garnet pressed her lips into a thin line, but did as the pale woman ordered.  They stopped several times, getting out to talk to random individuals on the street.  Pearl did all the talking, or shouting, as they worked to find a connection to the Drug Lord that supposedly had a base nearby.  By the time it was nearing eleven o’clock at night and the umpteenth attempt to get some information from yet another street dealer, Garnet’s patience was starting to wear thin.

            “Where do you go to purchase your product?” Pearl demanded as she took a dangerous step closer to the dealer.

            Soft snowflakes fell from the heavy clouds overhead.  A tiny flurry that could easily turn into a blizzard.  They instantly melted whenever they landed on a jacket, wall, or the asphalt alleyway.

            “I’m not telling you, bitch.  If you’re not going to buy anything fuck off,” he snarled.

            “I’m not leaving until you tell me where you go to get your product from Yellow Diamond.”

            “And when did I say I purchased from her?”

            “Really?” Pearl’s eye twitched.  “Your bags have her fucking branding on them.”

            “I found them, took them from some dump.”

            “You’re telling me you’re selling your ‘pure’ product in bags you found in the trash?  Something doesn’t add up, so spill the beans buddy.”

            “They were still in their box,” the dealer insisted.

            Garnet was done waiting for the guy to willingly cooperate.  They knew he sold product from Yellow Diamond, a couple of other dealers had pointed them in his direction.  The dark woman swiftly stepped forward and front kicked the dealer hard in the chest, sending him flying back; his butt landing on the cold, wet asphalt.  She followed his fall and grabbed the lapels of his jacket, with a violent throw she slammed him against the brick wall.  In seconds, she had one arm twisted painfully behind his back, one foot shoved sideways against the wall with her booted foot, and his face pressed against the rough, freezing stone.

            “Cut the chit chat.  Where do you go?” Garnet snarled.

            Pearl pulled back in surprise, momentarily breaking face.

            “What the fuck?!” He shouted this breath coming out in fast puffs of air.  “You crazy bitch!”

            “I said, where do you go?” the dark woman restated slower as she increased the pressure on his arm and head.

            “It changes every time!  I can’t tell you where to go!”

            “Then tell us your last location,” Pearl stepped up.  “That would be better than the lame shit you were spewing earlier.”

            “Over by the east loading docks!”

            “What number?”

            He closed his mouth.

            “What number,” Pearl growled.

            “34!”

            Garnet and Pearl exchanged a nod.

            “If we find out you’ve lied to us, you’ll have bigger problems coming your way,” Garnet threatened.

            “I swear I’m not,” he said through gritted teeth.  “I told you what you want, now let go of me!”

            The woman with the braided bun stepped back.  The dealer pulled away, glaring at the both of them as he massaged his wrist.  Garnet turned to head towards the car, her left side to the man.  The dealer quickly pulled out a switch blade and went for the dark woman.  Pearl stepped in between, skillfully grabbing his wrist, twisting the blade out of his hands, and pressing her own switchblade against his abdomen.  He paled at the thin woman’s fast counter.

            “Let’s try to keep things civil, alright buddy?” she smirked.

            The dealer pulled away and muttered a few choice words.  Garnet and Pearl stepped back into the green car and drove away.

            “Thanks,” Garnet spoke up after a couple of silent minutes.

            Pearl looked at her funny for a moment, before she blushed lightly.  “Yeah, well, we have to work together you know.  You did good at getting the information out of him.”

            The woman with the braided bun smiled with appreciation.

            It took a half an hour to find the mentioned loading dock.  Garnet huffed as she stared out into the dark waves rolling only a few feet below.  What good would it do to come to this place?  How were they going to contact the woman?  Covered eyes glanced over to where Pearl was pacing around in tight circles, burning through her cigarette rather quickly with snowflakes steadily accumulating in her hair.  The woman was anxious.  Something had to be up.  Garnet quickly scanned for any obvious security cameras, but found none.  Her gut tightened up as she saw two black SUVs slowly roll towards them from opposite sides with their headlights turned off.  Pearl was by her side immediately and Garnet placed her hand on her gun she had holstered in the back of her belt.  The SUVs stopped a few feet from them and their car.  Doors were opened and several muscular men and women stepped out.  All of them wearing black suits with yellow dress shirts.  The final figure to emerge from the left SUV was a tall imposing woman in a grey suit, a gold dress shirt, and grey boots with a three-inch heel on.  Garnet sucked in a breath as she recognized the woman as Miss Fancy Pants.  A grin spread across the tall woman’s round lips as she neared them.

            “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Pearl Meyers.  Roaming around and stirring up trouble?” Yellow Diamond spoke.

            “I was trying to find a way to contact you,” Pearl responded in an exasperated tone and threw her hands up.

            “Considering your continual refusal of my offers I didn’t presume I would need to leave an obvious means of contact,” the Drug Lord indifferently shrugged.

            “Well, you have my attention now.  I’ll work for you on the condition that you let Steven and Amethyst go.”

            A blonde eyebrow was raised in amusement.  “Who?”

            Light blue eyes rolled in their sockets.  Garnet’s eyes darted from one bodyguard to the next, trying to determine her best possible plan for attack if things went south.

            “Oh, don’t play innocent with me Yellow Diamond.  I watched the video, those were your goons that grabbed the two teenagers.  Not to mention you orchestrated the fire at my work so I’d be out of a job and desperate.”

            Yellow Diamond smirked.  “Who is this?” She motioned to Garnet.

            “This is Cherise,” Pearl introduced.  “If I’m going to be working for you I’d thought I’d bring along someone who can keep me company and watch my back.”

            “Oh really?” The Drug Lord said, a light tease drifting with her words.

            Pearl blushed as she caught the double meaning of her choice of words.  Garnet wanted to smack herself in the face.

            “N-no!  Not like that!  She’s my friend, who wanted to get in with a gang, who is a great conversationalist and someone I know and trust,” the pale woman tried to explain.

            “Pearl and I knew each other back in Jersey,” Garnet spoke up as she popped a hip and folded her arms across her chest.  “She came to me sayin’ that she’s gonna be workin’ for you and wanted to know if I was still interested in a better opportunity.  I told her yeah, and here we are.”

            “Just what are you hoping to be able to do for me?”  Yellow Diamond regarded the dark woman with a cold tone.

            “I got experience workin’ the streets, along with my combat skills and the ability to lift heavy loads,” she punctuated her sentence by flexing her arms.  “I’m not a bad shot either, so I can help out where you best see fit.”

            “And you think I’d just let a nobody into my well-organized operation?  Who have you worked with?  How many successful deliveries have you made?  Do you have anything of worth to tell to me?”

            “Lady, I could tell you all the fantastic things I’ve done and how awesome I am, but that could just be a bunch of wind coming out of my mouth.  I prefer to let my actions do the talking for me.”

            Yellow Diamond regarded Garnet with interest.  “So you wish for a trial period while Pearl adjusts to her new home?”

            “Yeah,” the woman with the braided bun shrugged.  “And when I’ve demonstrated how useful I am, then we can talk about a more permanent solution.  Deal?”  Garnet extended her hand.

            The Drug Lord smiled.  “Deal,” she agreed as she shook Garnet’s hand firmly.  Yellow Diamond then turned to Pearl.  “We will work out the parameters of your contract as well back at my base.  There I will make sure to have a living space set up for you two, and plenty of work to do as well.  You will be escorted by us to the base.  However, before that you and your car will be searched.”

            Pearl and Garnet’s eyebrows raised up in surprise.

            “Why do you-” the thin woman tried to counter.

            “Search them!” Yellow Diamond sharply ordered, her voice cutting through the air like a knife.

            Two female bodyguards began to search Garnet and Pearl, while two male bodyguards approached the car.  Garnet’s keys were pulled from her pocket and were tossed to the men.  Her gun, knife, cellphone, wallet, chapstick, and hoodie were all pulled from her and laid out for inspection.  Pearl’s jacket, cellphone, cigarettes, switchblade, lighter, handgun, and wallet were taken and presented to the Drug Lord.  The intimidating woman riffled through their wallets, checking ID’s, and opened their cellphones.  Thankfully, they had not gotten matching old smart phones for the undercover mission.  Once seeing that both were passcode protected she set them down and poked through the remaining items.  Yellow Diamond picked up Garnet’s Glock and skillfully removed the magazine and looked over the gun.

            “Nice choice of gun, Cherise,” she commented as she reloaded the magazine and aimed at some point in the distance between the two women.  “However, I prefer H & K.”

            Yellow Diamond flipped the safety back on as she set it back in the bodyguard’s hands.  She then picked up Pearl’s handgun and did the same thing.

            “Pearl has good taste, an H & K.  Is this your same one from before?”

            “Yes,” the pale woman confirmed.  “Never thought to get rid of it.”

            “Smart move,” the Drug Lord grinned.  “Return their items to them,” she ordered her guards.  “What have we found in the car?”

            “Bolt cutters, rope, duct tape, two backpacks, auto manuals and such, blankets, and a box of food,” one of the male bodyguards informed.

            “Search the backpacks.  A box of food?  What kinds?”

            “Fruits and vegetables, Yellow Diamond.”

            “Fruits and vegetables?”  Yellow eyes wandered over to silently quiz the two women.

            “Hey!  I like to eat healthy,” Garnet casually shrugged.  “I didn’t know what meal options I’d have at your place so I came prepared.”

            “Search the bin to ensure nothing else is in with them.”

            “The backpacks were full of clothes, personal items, a first aid kit, and ammo for the two handguns,” one reported back in.

            “There is nothing aside from fruit and vegetables in the bin,” the other supplied.

            “Good,” Yellow Diamond nodded.  “It seems you two have passed the inspection.  We shall escort you to the base.  Tomorrow morning you start working.”

            “Yippee,” Pearl rolled her eyes.

            “You won’t regret it!” Garnet smirked.

            “I’m sure I won’t,” the Drug Lord replied with a tiny grin in the corner of her mouth.

            Pearl and Garnet got into their car and began to follow the first SUV.  The second SUV took its place right behind them.  They weaved through many streets in Empire City until they reached the outskirts and drove down into an underground parking garage beneath a medium-sized office building.  Garnet directed the car to an open spot and parked.  They grabbed their backpacks, the box of food, and the blankets.  Yellow Diamond, her bodyguards, and her assistant escorted them into one of the buildings just behind the medium-sized one they had parked under.

            “I had only made initial plans for you Pearl, I wasn’t anticipating you’d be bringing anyone along,” the Drug Lord explained as they traveled up a couple of flights of stairs.  “Though, I’m sure you two will be able to work something out until I am able to make any changes to the room or have a second one set up for Cherise.”

            The group stopped at a simple wooden door.

            “Here is your key to your room,” Yellow Diamond motioned as her assistant presented the item to Pearl.  “Tomorrow morning at 7am sharp I will have Lindsey escort you to your lab, and Connor will escort Cherise to her assignment.”

            “And what about Steven and Amethyst?  Aren’t you going to release them?” Pearl stepped in.

            The Drug Lord regarded her coolly.  “You have yet to bring any worth to me and you’re asking for their release?”

            Pearl quickly closed her mouth.

            “That’s what I thought.  Any other questions?”

            “Yeah, when will we get a tour of the place?  Or like some information on the house rules?  I don’ wanna fuck everything up without knowing better,” Garnet put out.

            “You both will be given a rundown of necessary locations and rules.  For starters, there are communal bathrooms on each floor of this building along with a laundromat in the basement.  A large number of individuals live in this part of my company, mostly those who don’t want to bother renting a place offsite.  As for food, in the West building there are meals and basics provided onsite for all to use.  Don’t take more than your share.”

            “Understood, ma’am,” Garnet gave a mock salute.

            “Don’t ever do that again,” Yellow Diamond glared with a deadpan voice.

            “Noted, Yellow Diamond.”

            The Drug Lord exhaled sharply and then turned her attention to Pearl.  “Do you have any questions?”

            “Not yet, but I will,” the pale woman promised.

            “I’ll be in touch.  Good luck tomorrow.”

            With a wave the two newcomers were left in the hallway.  Shoulders fell slightly as they both breathed out in relief.

            “Well?  Whatcha waitin’ for?  Crack that door open,” Garnet grinned as she picked up the box of food.

            Pearl grumbled and opened the door with a little difficulty.  The brass key didn’t turn easily.  With a creak the wooden door swung open to reveal a small, minimally furnished bedroom.  Garnet pressed her lips into a tight line.  Sitting in the middle of the room was a twin-sized bed.  Pearl grimaced.  The dark woman exhaled and walked in, plopping the box of food on the wooden desk.

            “Well!  I’m going to check out this dresser, see what cool features it has.  You should check out the nightstand and the bed,” Garnet said as she stretched her arms high into the air.

            Pearl looked at her with a confused expression.

            “You know features, a hidden drawer, or maybe a couple of spiders that might need to be squashed?  Sure this seems like a nice place, but I’d rather not wake up with a black widow on my face.”

            “Oh!  Right, I’ll check things out, and let you know if I find anything.  I hate spiders.”

            Garnet nodded and gave the pale woman a thumbs up.  The two scoured the room, searching for any hidden cords, microphones, anything that could be used to spy on them; all while keeping up a rather casual conversation about what their first day might be like.  Pearl took apart the lighting fixture on the ceiling and Garnet moved around the pieces of furniture and the various pieces of the made bed.  A small microphone was found on the wall obscured by the top of the desk and another was nestled between the mattress and nightstand.  When every inch of the room had been searched, Garnet extended her hand to Pearl.

            “C’mere,” she smirked.

            Again Pearl regarded her with confusion, but took her hand anyway.  The dark woman pulled Pearl in for a close hug, her mouth night next to the pale woman’s ear.

            “We’ll leave them,” Garnet whispered, her voice barely louder than the breath of air used to make it.  “If we get rid of them, they will be suspicious.”

            “What will we do then?” Pearl responded just as quietly into her ear.

            “Text messaging, obscuring sounds, and if you’re ok with it, close whispers.”

            Garnet felt Pearl’s arms wrap around her waist; she tensed slightly at first to the touch, but then relaxed.

            “What do you mean by obscuring sounds?”

            “I have this cool song I wanted to play for you,” the woman with the twisted bun smiled as she pulled away from Pearl and placed her phone on the dresser near the location of the bug.

            The speaker on the phone was set to the highest level and a loud heavy metal song began to play.  Pearl pulled away at first, she didn’t care for the volume or the song.

            “Not your kind of song?” Garnet shouted over the sound.

            “No!  Not at all!”

            With a quick sequence of taps, the song was turned off and the phone was back in Garnet’s pocket.  Garnet pulled Pearl in for another embrace.

            “We’ll keep it as a backup, but for now we will stick to some text messaging and talking like this,” she whispered.

            Pearl nodded against the crook of Garnet’s neck.

            “Each day we should check for them, make sure no new ones are added, and don’t ever leave your phone unattended.”

            “Agreed.”

            They released each other.  Garnet walked over to the folded blankets she had brought.

            “I’ll take the floor,” she decided.

            “What?” Pearl quickly followed.  “No, I’ll take the floor.”

            “You don’t sleep well on hard surfaces, and you’re going to be the one handling dangerous chemicals.”

            “We could both fit,” the pale woman tried.

            “You tryin’ to get all sweet on me?” Garnet teased.

            “N-no!  I was just-Argh!  Fine!  Then we should rotate, one night on the floor, one night in the bed, ok?”

            “We’ll see about that,” the woman with the braided bun replied as she began to lay out some blankets for her to sleep on.

            Pearl huffed and tossed her backpack on the other side of the bed.  Garnet laid back and stared up at the ceiling.  They didn’t exchange any more words that night except for a semi cheerful goodnight.  Even with the fake excitement for the oncoming day, the dark woman knew they were thinking the same thing.

            _We got in, now we just have to make sure we find them and get out._

Dread settled into her stomach.  She had just successfully gone undercover in the base of a Diamond; one of the four largest, strongest, and deadliest dealers in the country.  A woman, who if she found out that Cherise was just a cover for a cop, wouldn’t hesitate to kill.  Garnet breathed out heavily and glanced up at Pearl as she shifted in the bed.  While this was familiar territory for the pale woman, Garnet wondered how she felt about being here.  Pearl had been surprisingly neutral and objective driven the past couple of days, a complete 180 degree turn from how she was the day Steven and Amethyst had been kidnapped.  A calloused hand reached up automatically to take off her sunglasses, but then halted its movement.

            _“Don’t you take those off, ever.”_

The hand fell back to her side.  It was best she didn’t take them off, the last thing she needed was for Yellow Diamond or any of her goons to find out about her half blind eye.  Plus, they were bulletproof.  Another sigh escaped thick lips as the dark woman forced her covered eyes to close.

 

            Strawberry blonde hair rubbed against the pillowcase as Pearl turned onto her left side.  Hands were clenched into tight fists as her heart raced inside of her ribcage.  She was in Yellow Diamond’s headquarters, completely under the woman’s control.  That alone terrified her.  Granted she had history with the woman and knew how to work with her, but this time she would have to be extra careful in her negotiations to ensure that Steven and Amethyst were released and not harmed.

            _Can I even do that?  Rose always settled the deals, I just made the product.  Can I even make good product anymore?!  It’s been five years!  What if I’ve forgotten everything?!_

The pale woman breathed out heavily.  She had to.  Steven and Amethyst were counting on her, they needed her to be strong.  Despite the moths dancing in her stomach, the doubts consuming her mind, and the fear gripping her heart, Pearl resolved to do everything in her power to get the teens out and make the mission succeed.

 

            Lights automatically clicked on as the door to the office was opened and the tall intimidating woman stepped in, closely followed by her personal assistant.  With a hard click the door closed and locked.  Yellow Diamond sat down at her desk and began to pull up several files.

            “What shall we do about Officer Bailey?” Ms. Pearl inquired; her pale hands clasped behind her thin body.

            Yellow eyes looked over the various pictures attached to the file that detailed all the known information about the mentioned woman.

            “A not entirely unanticipated addition,” Yellow Diamond began.  “We’ll keep her so busy she doesn’t have time to snoop around.  And,” white teeth flashed in a grin, “we’ll have to make sure she receives her proper initiation to the organization.  After all, not only do rookies need to be tested out, but they also need to know where they stand.”

            “I will ensure it happens,” Ms. Pearl said with a smirk.  “What about the living quarters?  Shall I make arrangements to have ‘Cherise Walker’ moved into another room?”

            Yellow Diamond leaned back in her chair and tapped a finger against her lips as she silently pondered the option.

            “No,” she decided.

            “No?”

            “No.  Let them be together.  Tongues become loose when they are comfortable and have a false sense of security.  If we are going to catch any wind of insurrection or plans regarding Steven and Amethyst, it will be when they are talking in their own space.”

            “I understand,” Ms. Pearl said with a slight bow.

            “In the meantime, let’s get those cameras installed while they are working tomorrow and get to work on hacking into their phones.  I want to know who they are talking to and what is being said.”

            “The tech team already has the equipment for the cameras and will be able to install them tomorrow morning.  I will inform them of the cellphone objective as well.”

            “Good.  And what is today’s report for the two guests?”

            “Amethyst is still resisting, but will cooperate when properly motivated.  Steven is hard working and doesn’t openly resist.  However, he does often complain about how much he misses his family and Beach City.”

            “Give them time, they will settle in,” the Drug Lord slowly nodded.  “It’s only been two days for them.  If at two weeks there is no significant progress, then we will have to adjust our approach.”

            “Understood, Yellow Diamond.”

 

            Antagonizing noise rang through Pearl’s dreamscape, the horrid sound jerking her awake.  She sat up and looked for the source of the alarm with bleary eyes.  Off to her side she saw Garnet stand up and stretch before hitting a button on her phone.  The sound instantly died.

            “Why the fuck are you up already?” she groaned, the thin woman felt like she had just finally gotten to sleep.

            The dark woman straightened out her shirt and regarded Pearl through her reflective sunglasses.

            “It’s six thirty am, we are being taken to our assignments at seven.  I want to be completely alert and ready to show ‘em what I’m made of.”

            “Ugh…warn me the next time you’re going to turn that alarm on,” the pale woman mumbled as she flopped back onto the bed and curled into the warm and surprisingly comfortable sheets.

            “You should get up too, I have no doubt Yellow Diamond is going to have you start cooking right away.  I don’t want you handling volatile chemicals while being half asleep.”

            “I can cook that stuff in my sleep,” Pearl waved off, her earlier apprehension to making meth again completely gone.

            While she had been unable to sleep, she had dug through the files in her brain for all of the formulas, equipment, steps, and precautions for making the drug.  Needless to say, she at least felt confident in that area.

            Garnet huffed and Pearl watched the dark woman’s shadow move towards the large cardboard box of fruit.  The crunch of an apple being torn into pieces came only moments later.  The pale woman frowned into the pillow.  They did make it in, this wasn’t just an odd dream.  There was no backing out now.  Pearl pushed herself back up and stumbled over to where Garnet was sitting on the single chair.

            “Can I have a piece of fruit?” she asked as she rubbed an eye with the palm of her hand.

            The dark woman nodded and motioned to the box.

            “Thanks.”

            She riffled around for a moment, trying to see what her options were and what looked appetizing.  Pale fingers wrapped around a large orange.

            _I’ll have this._

Pearl sat on the bed and peeled the fruit, eating it slice by slice.  Her body responded positively to the fresh scent of orange.  It was like a burst of sunshine lighting up the dull cold room.  She looked up to the sound of Garnet clearing her throat.  The dark woman was holding up her cellphone and made a quick motion with her thumbs like she was texting.  Pearl’s phone vibrated couple seconds later.  Light blue eyes quickly read the message.

            Captain Square- [We’ll discuss through messaging what our plans are for today.]

            Party Hat- [What’s your plan for today?]

            Captain Square- [Become familiar with the base, and figure out what is expected of us.  Could you find out how much needs to be done before she’ll release Steven and Amethyst?  In the meantime, I will try to locate them and blend in.]

            Party Hat- [Sounds easy enough.]

            Captain Square- [Let’s hope so.]

            Party Hat- [What shall we do about the key to the room?]

            Captain Square- [You’ll keep it.  You are more likely to have a steady schedule than I will and I don’t want to leave it around for someone to pick up.]

            Party Hat- [Ok, and we’ll keep each other updated on our schedules through the cellphones?]

            Captain Square- [As much as we can.  I also hid a spare key to my car in the underside of the car by the driver’s door.  If we need to make a break for it, there will always be a key there.]

            Pearl nodded and breathed out slowly before typing out her response.

            Party Hat- [Have we informed Cheeto puff that we’re in?]

            Captain Square- [I already did.]

            A sharp knock rapped on their door.  They exchanged a quick look.

            “Good luck,” Garnet cheerfully smiled as she looked up from her phone.

            “You too,” Pearl returned as she put her phone away.

            The knock was repeated.

            “I’m coming! Sheesh, hold your horses!” Pearl shouted at the door as she walked over, unlocked the door, and opened it.

            On the other side were two individuals.  One was a tall thin woman with short sandy hair and brown skin with vitiligo, the other was a burly man just a couple of inches shorter than the woman.  He had shoulder length, curly, dark brown hair and piercing green eyes.

            “Let me guess Lindsey and Connor right?” Garnet greeted as she walked up and leaned on the door frame.

            “Yes,” came the tall woman’s reply.  “I’m assuming the short one is the cook?”

            “The short one?!” Pearl seethed.  “I’ll turn you into a pretzel Skinny and then we can see who the short one is!”

            “Yeah, yeah,” the tall woman waved off.  “Lindsey will take you to your lab, Yellow Diamond says she has everything you need already set up for you.”

            “Wait?  Lindsey?” Pearl pointed to the burly man in confusion.

            “Yeah, Lindsey,” the brown woman gestured to the man.  “My name is Connor, I’ll be taking Cherise to her assignment.”

            “Oh!” the pale woman’s face heated up slightly.  “Right, let’s get going, I’m tired of standing here.  Where to Lindsey?” she directed to the burly man.

            “Follow me,” was all he said before he turned and began walking.

            “See ya later Pearl!” Garnet called out.

            Pearl waved back.  She faced forward and walked slightly behind the man leading her towards her new lab.  Light blue eyes rolled around in their sockets.  She was probably going to have to clean the place, get everything organized, and have her testing chemicals ordered.  It looked like a long day of getting nothing done and doing a shit ton of prep work.  They walked out of the housing building, across an open courtyard with a large gathering of goons, and into the North building.  From there they descended a level into the basement.  A few doors were spread out along the single hallway.  Lindsey approached the second one on the right.  Pearl could tell already that this was her door.  There was a type of seal around it similar to the one she had back at the Rose Thorn base.  Off to the right of the door was a sign that could be flipped to one of two messages.  She played with it before walking in after the burly man.  One side said “DO NOT ENTER” and the other said “ENTER”.

            _At least I shall have privacy._

Pearl set it to “DO NOT ENTER” and walked into the large room.  Light blue eyes scanned the lab.  There was a long table set up with all the needed measuring cups, vials, tubes, containers, etc.  In the corner were piles of organized chemicals and raw supplies along with a metal briefcase.  A strawberry blonde eyebrow was raised up and she rushed over to the object.  It wasn’t hers…Pearl’s shoulders fell slightly, for a second she was hoping it had been, but she knew it wasn’t.  Her briefcase was taken during the raid of the Rose Thorn base.  Nevertheless, she opened up the new case and inspected it.  Everything was there.  From the small disc containers, to the exact chemicals she used to test her meth.  It was nicely organized and secured in the foam cutouts.

            “You’ll find that everything you need is already here,” Yellow Diamond’s voice cut through the silent air.

            Pearl jumped slightly and looked over her shoulder at the Drug Lord as the woman walked over to her.

            “That way you can get started right away.”  Yellow eyes glanced down at the briefcase in Pearl’s hands.  “Do you like it?  I tried to get something as similar to your original one as I could.”

            “It will do, I’m actually quite surprised that you had this,” Pearl admitted.

            “I do my research Pearl.  Lindsey is here to assist you in any way you see fit.  If you need him to grab you some food from the West building, or to do some prep work, or whatever.”

            “Thanks.”

            “Well, I’ll leave you to your work now.  Remember, I’ll accept only the best,” Yellow Diamond finished as she left.

            “I know,” Pearl muttered darkly as she shut the briefcase and stood up.

            With a crack of her knuckles, the meth cook got to work.

 

            “So they didn’t say anything about you other than that you’re a plucky individual who either has some serious guts or is a complete idiot,” Connor spoke as they walked down a few flights of stairs to the ground level.

            Garnet walked right next to the skinny woman.  For some strange reason, Connor reminded her of a less bulky Jasper.  The dark woman internally shook her head, she needed to stay focused.

            “Well, words are shit,” she casually shrugged.  “What really matters is if I can do good work.  I’d rather do that than just make up a speech about how great I am.”

            Connor smirked.  “Well, we’ll get a good idea what you’re made of pretty soon.”

            They stepped out into a large courtyard where more than fifty people were gathered.  The crowd was full of individuals of all shapes, sizes, and colors; all chatting in smaller circles spread out all over the area.  Two teams of five were playing a pickup game of basketball in the cold morning air.  Connor headed towards the court.  Eyes followed the two as the gang members noticed an unfamiliar face.  Slowly they gathered around, excitement coursing through their voices.  Garnet could tell they were sizing her up.  The basketball flew over to the two of them; Garnet reflexively caught the loose sphere as it bounced near her.

            “Nice,” the skinny woman regarded the undercover cop with mild interest.  “Pick out five people.”

            “Five people?” Garnet questioned as she held up the basketball.

            “Yeah, anyone you want.”

            “Alright,” the dark woman breathed out.  “I’ll take you, big guy in the green waffle-weave shirt, this athletic lady with the black jacket, the tall guy with the sick shoes, fast and nimble looking gal with the ponytail, and you there who just sunk that 3 pointer.”

            The five individuals Garnet picked out walked over and circled around her, the crowd continued to close in.  Garnet opened her mouth to start introducing herself to the team she picked out, but her gut tensed up, something wasn’t right.  Her Glock holstered in the back of her belt underneath her hoodie was suddenly taken.  She whirled around trying to find who did it.  Garnet spotted her handgun being handed over to Connor.

            “Hey!  That’s mine,” she growled.

            Conner simply rolled a pair of white dice with one hand as the other held the Glock, the hard-plastic cubes clattered across the concrete.  A total was displayed and a brown hand quickly snatched up the two dice.

            “9,” Connor stated with a smirk.

            Before Garnet could guess what “9” meant, a large fist smashed into the left side of her face, sending her world spinning and her staggering on her feet.  Another fist struck her ribcage from a different angle.  Garnet instinctively pulled her arms up to cover her face as she tried to regain her bearings.  Her right thigh cringed with pain as it was hit with a roundhouse.  Where were the attacks coming from?  A punch to the gut, the side of her head was boxed.

            “1!” came the loud cry from the crowd.

            The woman with the twisted bun moved around, still covering her face and trying to focus.  It was her “team” they were the ones attacking her.  Her body absorbed two more punches and a knee.  Protect the face, keep consciousness, keep moving.  Garnet felt herself seize up partially after getting socked hard in the liver.  No, she couldn’t just take this, she needed to start avoiding, she needed to fight back.  Another kick to the legs.

            “2!”

            The large fist struck her side.  They were going in a circle, the dark woman realized.  Garnet spotted the oncoming punch and slipped out of the way.  She pivoted on her feet to face the tall guy as he was coming at her with an uppercut.  His fist only met air as she pulled back just enough.  Garnet grunted as the next individual struck quickly, not waiting for her to turn and face them; as did the fourth.  The dark woman felt the fifth grab her from behind.  That was a mistake.  With one fluid movement, she threw them over her shoulder and hard onto the concrete.

            “3!”

            Her face was forced sideways as the first hit her from her blind spot.  Blood oozed from her nose and lips as she stumbled, her world spinning around once again.  Two and three scored easy hits until she was able to pull up her defenses.  Four’s kick was dodged, five landed a solid hit to her gut.  Garnet didn’t care, she had her eyes on the first, waiting for the bulky man to strike.

            “4!”

            He tried to fake her out with a couple of pulled punches, but Garnet was able to see through his moves and avoid the heavy hand that rocketed towards her face.  Two came at her with a cross, she quickly blocked it and punched them in the sternum.  Three’s leg was caught and he was thrown towards four, knocking the both of them off their balance.  Five watched her warily before trying to land a fast jab.  Garnet slipped through the punch and struck the bottom of their chin with the palm of her hand.

            “5! SHAKE IT UP!” the cheering crowd roared.

_What?!_

            The next attack came from behind, hitting her right leg again.  Before she could react the first drove his fist hard into her gut, forcing all of the air out of her body and partially lifting her off her feet.  Garnet fell to her knees desperately trying to get her body to breathe in again.  The next hit was a kick to the ribs, a knee, a punch.

            “6!”

            They continued to rain down on her, as she struggled to regain any semblance of control.  She needed to move, she was just a sitting duck.

            “7!”

_TAKE THE OFFENSIVE!!_

            Garnet forcibly exhaled and blindly rolled on the freezing concrete.  As soon as she made contact with a body, she wrapped her legs around theirs and toppled them to the ground.  The dark woman used the momentum of their fall to pop up on top of them.  She then rained down a couple of fast strikes.  If she could take one out that would be less to worry about.  Garnet was grabbed from behind and lifted off five by the first.  His thick arm wrapped around her throat threatening to put her to sleep in seconds.  She turned sideways into them and dropped towards the ground through his legs.  Garnet then rolled and drove forward, turning him onto his side with his back towards her and his arm now around the back of her neck.  The dark woman quickly broke hold and kneed him in the kidney.  Two and three lunged at her, their hits landing.  Garnet’s ears tuned out anything except for the five people she was fighting.  Weave, protect the face, attack!  The dark woman lunged forward on unsteady feet, her fist crashing into five’s jaw before they could even start their attack.

            “9!”

            Garnet pivoted on her feet, charging at the first.

            “9! STOP!”

            The first raised up his hands in surrender and Connor stepped in between them.  Covered eyes narrowed as she watched as many people as she could, not lowering her guard for a second.

            “Geez, chill Cherise, you got to 9, this test is over.”

            “What?!” Garnet spat through the blood in her mouth.

            “A Test of Durability.  You face off against five of your own choosing.”

            “I thought we were going to play basketball!” she yelled angrily.

            “Maybe another day, but we gotta ensure we even want you working with us,” Connor brushed off with a wave of her hand.

            Garnet exhaled and wiped some of the blood off her face with her white graphic t-shirt.

            “Can I have my gun back?”

            “Once you’ve finished all the tests.”  Connor turned to the rowdy crowd.  “Who did the worst?  Who should be voted off!” she asked the crowd as she motioned to the five Garnet had picked.

            “Lance!  Lance!  Lance!” they chanted unanimously.

            “You heard them,” Connor turned to the fifth.  “You’re out.”

            The fifth grumbled and walked into the crowd, taking a spectator position.

            “Now for the second test, A Test of Speed.  You will run…”

            The dice clattered on the concrete again, the eager eyes of the crowd watched for the final number.

            “Five laps around the perimeter of this courtyard!” Connor shouted out.  “Anything goes, from the sidelines and the five remaining contestants.  Except for guns and weapons, blah, blah, blah.  You all know the rules.  Now!  Get to your marks!” She pointed to the edge of the building.  “Oh and Cherise, I suggest you don’t get beat.”

            “That won’t be a problem,” Garnet confidently smirked as she walked over with the remaining four.  She took off her hoodie, folded it, and tossed it to one of the spectators.

            “I’m coming back for that,” she said as her pointer and middle finger gestured to her eyes then theirs.

            The dark, short, woman nodded and gave Garnet a thumbs up in agreement.  All five contestants took their positions and waited for Connor to give the order.

            “GO!”

            The first slammed his fist down on Garnet’s right thigh, giving her a horrible charley horse.  Garnet gasped and limped forward.  She frantically rubbed the tensed muscle as she watched the four run ahead.  Lungs began to constrict as her eyes began to see tall shelves of merchandise and a puddle of blood under her.

_Not now!_

            Garnet closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe, using the pain of rolling the knot out of her leg to keep herself grounded in the present.  Ten precious seconds later her covered eyes snapped open and her legs sprang into action.  Lungs pulled in and pushed out air in an efficient manner as her legs hit their stride.  The leader of the four was already a half of the courtyard ahead of her.  Garnet quickly measured the place and estimated that each lap around the courtyard was about a quarter of a mile.  She had time, she just needed to slowly close the distance in the first four laps, and then blow them out of the water in the fifth.  In moments, the first lap was done.  Garnet kept her eye on the sidelines, so far no one had tried any cheap shots at her, but she wasn’t going to let her guard down.  Two laps.  The dark woman pushed her pace; the smallest, the fourth, was keeping a strong lead.  Three laps.  Garnet’s right leg ached, she ignored it as she closed in on the first man.  She took a wide path around him and ran on.  Four laps.  A deep breath of cold air was sucked in as she kicked herself into high gear.  Two was passed in seconds, only three and four remained.  Chilly wind whistled in her ears along with the excited exclamations of the spectators.  As she closed in on the third, a tunnel of people was formed.  A fifty-gallon drum was thrown down on the ground.  Garnet smirked as she watched four stumble over it.  Three leaped over, but lost a lot of his momentum.  She approached the drum, measured her strides and flew over it.  Cheers rang out.  The dark woman had a half of a lap left and fifteen yards between her and the lead.  Long powerful legs sped up, booted feet pushing off the ground hard.  She slipped past number three before he realized it.  It was down to her and four.  Both women sprinted forward.  Garnet was right beside her, slowly inching forward with each stride.  Harsh pants came from number four as she tried in vain to keep up with the newbie.  The dark woman grinned as a few inches became a few feet.  She crossed the finish line first.  The crowd went wild.  Garnet rested her hands on her head as she gasped for air and paced around, she was dizzy and elated with the win.

            “And the winner is the rookie!” Connor announced.  “What a race!  Now!  Who should be voted off?”

            “Jesse!  Jesse!  Jesse!”

            “Alright, the people have spoken.  Jesse,” Connor pointed to the burly man.  “You’re off!”

            Jesse lumbered into the crowds, sweating profusely from all the running.

            “And it’s probably a good thing too,” the skinny woman grinned.  “The next is A Test of Strength!”

            Garnet exhaled heavily and bowed her head for a moment, the insides of her body were hot due to the exercise, while her skin was cold from the winter air.  Her legs shook as she walked over to where a thick rope was laid out; the adrenaline in her body was gone, leaving her dizzy, sore, and sick.  She regretted getting punched in the gut and head so many times.

            “Each of the remaining three will go against Cherise in a game of Tug-O-War!  Only one match apiece.  Pull the other off their feet far enough that the tape passes the line and you win!  Let’s start with a matchup of the rookie vs. Heather!”

            The dark woman let out an internal sigh of relief as the fast and small woman walked over to the other end of the rope.  It should be an easy match for her, so it will give her a little more time to recover before facing off against the other two.  Garnet tied the rope around her waist and took hold of it.  The two had a mini staring contest before the signal was given by Connor.  Strong legs back-pedaled quickly, Heather had no chance against her.  In mere seconds the match was over.

            “Aww, that was easy, next one will be Cherise vs. Jordan!”

            Garnet’s face fell as the guy walked over to the other end of the rope.  The rope was reset, Jordan tied himself in, and they waited for Connor’s signal.

            “GO!”

            Immediately, Garnet lost some ground, but she was able to stop as she dug her feet into the concrete and pulled back on the rope with her legs and arms.  She watched carefully, looking for any opportunity to start driving back, any lax in his defenses.  However, it didn’t come, he started jerking the rope with his arms, causing Garnet to lose footing inch by inch.  White teeth gritted in determination as sweat rolled down her body and dripped off her arms.  She pushed back, desperately trying to stop the slow movement of the tape towards Jordan’s marker.  With a powerful jerk, Garnet was pulled from her feet and flung face first onto the cold concrete.

            “Jordan wins!”

            The crowd cheered.

            Slowly the dark woman stood up, the world rocking back and forth.  She had little left, Garnet didn’t know if she could win against number two.  The brown athletic woman walked up to the other side of the rope, taking Jordan’s place, and tied herself in.  Covered eyes looked down at her own waist wrapped in the rough thick rope.  If she went at it with the same tactic as before, she was going to lose, she needed to mix it up.  Garnet turned the knot around so the rope was hanging off her back.  The rope was reset.  She walked close to the marker, turned her back to her opponent and crouched down to sprint, the loose rope coiling on the ground behind.  It was a risk.  If the athletic woman could pull the rope fast enough, the marker would pass before Garnet pulled it taut.  Excited whispers and chatter rumbled through the crowd.

            “On your marks,” Connor began, grinning, “Get set.  GO!”

            Garnet took off in a sprint, the loose rope flying with her at the same time the other woman, Kenza, quickly back-pedaled, easily bringing the marker towards her line.  The marker was a mere inch from the line when the rope snapped taut.  Garnet’s sprint was halted for a moment and the other was jerked forward.  Booted feet didn’t stop for a second, she kept rapidly driving against the rope, pushing forward step by step.  Kenza regained her secure footing and pulled back.  Garnet leaned into it and continued to pound the pavement with her steel toed boots.  A loud exclamation burst from her throat.  Garnet’s vision swam, she couldn’t hear anything, she could barely feel her own body.  Suddenly the tension in the rope dropped and someone was in front of her waving their arms and shouting something.  The dark woman stopped and fell to her hands and knees.  Her stomach lurched, threatening to spill the apple she had eaten for breakfast.

            “And the winner is Cherise!  The rookie with the gutsy move!” Connor’s voice rang somewhere in the distance.

            Garnet flopped onto the concrete, panting heavily as she tried for what seemed the umpteenth time, to regain her senses.  In the distance, Heather was voted out and the next round was to begin.  Ice cold water splashed onto her face, startling her out of the daze she was in.  Connor was crouched in front of her.

            “Hey, you still with us?”

            Garnet numbly nodded.

            “Alright.  The next round is A Test of Intelligence.  You and the remaining two are going to answer some random questions.  The loser gets cut from the competition.”

            The dark woman shakily got to her feet and fumbled around as she untied herself from the knot in the rope.  Connor had all three of them stand in front of her as a chalkboard was set up next to her.  One column for each contestant was written.  Garnet retrieved her hoodie from the spectator as her sweat covered body began to quickly cool down.

            “Rules are simple, the question will be read completely, and then the first to raise their hand will get to answer.  Blurting out answers don’t count, raising your hand before I’ve finished reading the question doesn’t count, and if the first person doesn’t get it right it goes to the second and then to the third.  There will be…”  Connor trailed off as she threw her dice.  “Seven questions!”  A stack of flashcards were pulled out of one of the skinny woman’s pocket.  “Number one:  What is fifteen times seven?”

            Garnet was a little slow getting her arm in the air, her head was still plenty fuzzy from the prior physical exertion.  Jordan was first.

            “105!”

            “Correct!”

            One point was given to the man.

            “Number two: What is the resulting color of red and blue?”

            This time Garnet was the first.

            “Purple,” she stated.

            “Correct!”

            A line was added under her name.

            “Number three: How many ounces are there to a gram?”

            Kenza was first.  “.035 ounces to a gram!”

            “Correct!”

            All of them had a point now.

            “Number four: Which two continents share a large land border?”

            Garnet was first.

            “Europe and Asia.”

            “Correct!”

            The dark woman breathed out a sigh of relief, she was in the lead.

            “Number five: What is the Pythagorean Theorem?”

            Jordan raised his hand first, followed by Kenza, then Garnet.

            “E = mc2!”

            “No…” Connor frowned.  “Kenza you get a shot.”

            “a2 \+ b2 = c2.”

            “Correct!  Number six: What year did WWI begin?”

            Garnet was first.

            “1914.”

            “Correct!  Last question.  If Cherise gets it she wins, but Kenza could still tie it up.  Number seven: What is numerical value of pi?”

            Both hands went up at the same time.  Connor frowned, asked them to pick a number between 1 and 12, then rolled her dice.

            “So it landed on three which was closer to Kenza’s guess of five.  Kenza what is the answer to the question?”

            “3.14159.”

            “And she is correct!  We have to go into a tie breaker round now.  What is your favorite color?”

            Garnet got her hand up first.

            “Purple.”

            Connor raised an eyebrow.  “Are you sure?”

            “Positive,” the dark woman smirked.

            “The rookie is the winner!  Jordan has been eliminated and Kenza and Cherise will face off in the final test.  A Test of Skill.”  The skinny woman turned to Garnet.  “Knife or gun?”

            Garnet thought for a second.  “Knife.”

            “Alright,” Connor nodded.

            She then handed Kenza a knife with a four inch blade and guided them towards the middle of the courtyard.

            “Make sure Cherise and Kenza don’t have any other weapons on them,” the skinny woman ordered.

            Both were told to turn out pockets and were searched quickly.  When they were cleared, Connor faced them once again.

            “The rules are simple, one conscious victor, the match doesn’t end until then.  But it’s not to the death, so please don’t kill each other.”

            Garnet frowned.  She was at a disadvantage, Kenza had the knife and all she had was her hands.  Dark hands were clenched into fists, she was going to win.  At Connor’s signal, the two began their match.  Kenza didn’t hesitate to launch in brandishing the sharp weapon, forcing Garnet to dance around.  The dark woman kept an eye on the arm, waiting for the best moment to catch it and disarm the athletic woman.  Garnet stepped in quickly to grab Kenza’s arm, but she changed the direction of her attack quicker and slashed upward.  The blade sliced through Garnet’s shirt and possibly more.  Tired legs hopped back, reestablishing some distance.  There had to be a pattern, some point where the woman pauses more than the others in preparation for the next attack.  Covered eyes widened as she spotted it.

            _There!_

Garnet patiently avoided the swipes until the horizontal swing came.  She quickly followed it and caught the wrist of the hand holding the knife.  With a smooth movement, the dark woman twisted the blade out of Kenza’s hands and tossed it several feet away.  Kenza quickly adjusted her fighting style and began to strike out with punches and kicks.  Garnet blocked, avoided, and absorbed several hits before tackling her opponent to the ground.  In seconds she had Kenza’s hands behind her back ready to be handcuffed.  Mismatched eyes blinked.  She wasn’t arresting the woman, she was supposed to knock her out.

            “What are you doing?” Connor asked, her voice thick with suspicion.

            “Do I need to knock her out?  It’s pretty clear I’ve won,” she tried as she glanced over her shoulder at the skinny woman.

            “Yes, you do, that’s the rules,” Connor stated firmly.

            “Ya sure?  It takes more skill to subdue someone who is conscious versus unconscious.”

            “Just do it!”

            Garnet sighed as she released Kenza’s hands and quickly slipped an arm around the woman’s neck.  She held on with her legs as the other arm braced against the back of Kenza’s neck.  Garnet breathed in deeply and squeezed.  It took a few seconds, but the body under Garnet went limp.  The dark woman stood up and pumped her fists as Connor announced her as the winner.

            “Congratulations, rookie, you’ve passed the initiation.  Now the real work begins,” Connor grinned.  “It looks like Kenza still got ya,” she motioned to the wide vertical line of red staining the white t-shirt.

            Garnet lifted up the shirt and saw a shallow cut running up a couple of inches on the left-side of her abdomen.

            “Ah it’s not that bad at all, looks like it’s stopped bleeding already.  C’mon let’s get to work,” Connor brushed off as she handed Garnet her gun.

            “Are ya sure?  It won’t take me long to patch it up.”

            Connor simply started walking through the dissipating crowd.  “Keep up rookie!”

            Thick lips were pressed into a thin line as Garnet placed her gun in the back of her belt and under her hoodie before jogging after the skinny woman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are they in over their head? What do you think? Are Steven and Amethyst even here?


	26. Deals and Meetings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another very long chapter. How will Pearl and Garnet find the two kidnapped teens and escape while Yellow Diamond is watching their every move?

^^^^^^

Pearl and Garnet try different methods to locate Steven and Amethyst.  They run into obstacles all along the way.

^^^^^^

 

            Thin lips let out a long grumble as the pale woman shut the door behind her.  Pearl flopped onto the twin-sized bed.  Her pointy nose wrinkled in disgust, she smelled like shit, she needed to go take a shower.  The thin woman got up, glanced at her watch, and grabbed the items she would need for the shower.  10:39pm.  Hopefully Garnet wouldn’t come back while she was gone, but hopefully the dark woman would be back soon.  Fortunately, the female shower area was relatively empty, Pearl didn’t want to deal with anyone else or have a bunch of other people asking her questions.  After a short, hot shower, she headed back to the room.  Garnet wasn’t back yet.  Pearl grabbed her lighter and a pack of cigarettes.  In the cold night air she let the calming chemicals soothe her body.  The day had been rough, using all of her formulas and making meth without causing any explosions had been stressful, no matter how much experience she had in doing so.  Today had yielded 5kg of meth that was up to Yellow Diamond’s standards.  Pearl had hoped that it would be enough to at least start negotiating with.  The cigarette had burned down to the nub, the thin woman blew out the last puff of smoke and stomped on the butt with her shoes.  She walked back up the stairs and into the room.  Garnet was still not back.  11:27pm.  Worry began to eat at the thin woman’s mind.

            _What if they found out?_

_What if she’s hurt?_

_I can’t do this alone!_

Pearl paced around the room trying to decide what to do.  She sent a simple message to Garnet hoping she would get some sort of response.  Minutes continued to tick by.  Pearl laid back on the bed and curled up into a ball, hoping that any moment their unlocked door would open and the dark woman would step in.  The minutes kept on adding up.

            At 12:03am the door opened.  Pearl bolted into a sitting position, breathed out in relief, and smiled as Garnet slowly walked into the room.  However, her smile was short-lived as she noted Garnet’s downcast expression and the dried blood splatters all over her shirt and hoodie.  The left side of the dark woman’s face was swollen, and her hands looked like they had been roughed up.  Reflective sunglasses looked up at her for a second before the woman continued to walk over to her backpack.

            “Hey,” Garnet breathed out heavily.  “I’m going to go take a shower, and then I’m going to sleep.”

            “Ok…” Pearl pressed her thin lips together, she didn’t really know what to say or try to offer to the obviously injured woman.

            Garnet grabbed the items she needed for the shower and exited not even a minute after arriving.  The door clicked shut and the pale woman was left to pace around and worry about what happened to Garnet on her first day.

            _Should I have gone with her?_

_What can I do?!_

_She’s hurt, why?  What did they make her do?_

Several minutes later Garnet reopened the door looking cleaner in a fresh set of clothes.  Pearl opened her mouth to ask the dark woman how her day was, but words failed to come.  Garnet tossed her stuff onto her backpack and slumped into the hard, wooden chair.

            “Gar-Cherise,” Pearl quickly corrected.  “How was your first day?”

            Garnet weakly laughed.  “I survived the initiation.”

            The pale woman winced.

            _Oh…_

“And then they had me working the whole day moving boxes, furniture, all sorts of shit.”  Garnet pulled out her phone and began typing a message.

            Pearl’s phone vibrated in her pocket.

            Captain Square- [I didn’t have a chance to look for Steven or Amethyst aside from the areas I was in.  Did you have any better luck?]

            The pale woman looked off to the side and typed her response.

            Party Hat- [No.  I tried asking for Steven’s and Amethyst’s release today after presenting my day’s work to Yellow Diamond.  She asked me if they really meant so little to me.]

            Yellowed teeth were gritted in anger as she quickly typed another message.

            Party Hat- [I was able to get her to agree to release them after I’ve made 100 kilograms of meth.  And that’s including the 5 kilograms I made today.  So if I make 5 kilograms a day they will be out of here in 20 days.  It’ll be hard, but it’s something.]

            Garnet breathed out heavily as she typed on her phone.

            Captain Square- [We will move forward with that, but within those 20 days we need to locate them and come up with our own plan to get them out.  I highly doubt, especially considering Yellow Diamond’s attitude on the subject that she will agree to release them at all.  We are in her domain and are at the mercy of her decisions.  The best we can do is keep our masks on and keep suspicions low while we search and plan.]

            The thin woman glared at the ground as she nodded in silent agreement.

            “Pearl?” came Garnet’s tired voice.

            “Hm?”

            The dark woman pursed her lips for a moment.  “Can you bring me the first aid kit from my backpack?  I got something I need to patch up.”

            “Yeah, sure.”

            Pearl walked over and crouched in front of the mentioned item.  She moved the bloodied shirt and other dirty clothes before digging through the bag.  After grabbing the small first aid kit, she walked back and presented it to Garnet.  The exhausted woman set it on the desk and pulled out some butterfly bandages, salve, and a large rectangular bandage.  Pearl watched quietly as Garnet pulled up her shirt to expose the cut on her abdomen and began applying the salve and bandages.

            “Did you get that from initiation?”

            The woman with the braided bun nodded.

            “What…what did they do to you?” Pearl asked quietly.

            “I was put through five tests against five people of my own choosing.  One was a five to one fight, the other a footrace, the next was tug-o-war, the next was random questions, and the final was a one-to-one fight with my opponent wielding a knife.  After each test one of the five people I picked were eliminated.  That’s how my day started.”

            The pale woman grimaced.  “I’m sorry, I should have warned you about that possibility, it would make sense for there to be an initiation into Yellow Diamond’s gang.  The Rose Thorns never really had one.”

            “It’s too late for that now,” Garnet shrugged.  “What was the initiation like for you?”

            “I didn’t have one, Yellow Diamond just put me right to work.”

            “Makes sense, there’s no point in beating you up or testing you, she already has history with you.”

            “Yeah…”

            Light eyes stared at the swelling on the left side of Garnet’s face.

            _Her blind spot…that’s why it’s worse than the other side._

Pearl’s phone vibrated again.

            Captain Square- [Have you checked the bugs?]

            Party Hat- [No.]

            Captain Square- [Let’s do a complete search again.]

            Party Hat- [Ok.]

            The two looked through the room once again, even digging through their own belongings and taking apart the light fixture.  The first two bugs were in their original spots, but nothing new could be found.  Pearl watched as Garnet was running her hands along the edges and corners of the room; occasionally knocking on the wall.

            Party Hat- [We checked everything, there’s nothing new.]

            Garnet didn’t reply to the message, she just stood up on the chair and began inspecting the corner formed between the wall and the ceiling.  Once she was finally done, she walked towards Pearl and pulled her in for a hug.  The pale woman huffed, but enjoyed the comfort that came from being close to Garnet.

            “There’s most likely two cameras in the top corners of the left side of the room,” Garnet barely whispered.

            “Are you sure?”

            “There’s a small hole, could be missing caulking, or an opening to a camera.  Best to be cautious.”

            Pearl groaned and pressed her face against Garnet’s collarbone.

            “What does that mean?” she whispered.

            “When we talk like this, we make sure our mouths are not visible.  Same with texting, keep the phones face down when anticipating a message, and have the screens facing the right side of the room.”

            “Are there cameras there?”

            “I didn’t feel any holes, just position your phone so it would be hard to be read over your shoulder.”

            “Ok.”

            Warm arms released her as Garnet stepped back.

            “Well, better get some sleep, I gotta wake up soon, 6:30 again,” the dark woman informed as she began to walk towards the blankets laid out on the floor.

            “Wait!” Pearl quickly grabbed Garnet’s wrist.

            Reflective sunglasses turned to look at her.

            “You get the bed tonight.  You need it more than I do.”

            Garnet didn’t speak, she didn’t move either.

            “I mean it.  You had a rough day.  The bed is comfy and I don’t mind sleeping on the floor.”

            “Thanks,” a brief smile flickered onto Garnet’s lips.

            “N-no problem,” Pearl blushed.

            The athletic woman crawled into the bed and was asleep in seconds.  Pearl smiled and then curled into the blankets on the floor.

 

            Connor rapped her knuckles against the door to Yellow Diamond’s office.  It was after midnight, but the Drug Lord had firmly instructed her to come and report on the rookie no matter the time.  The door was opened by none other than Ms. Pearl, Yellow Diamond’s assistant.

            “Yo, I’m here with the report on Cherise Walker, is our boss still up?”

            “Yes, I am,” came the strong voice.  “Come in and shut the door behind you.”

            Connor nodded and did as she was told.  “Cherise made it through all five tests, quite phenomenally, she won two, four, and five.  Where’d she come from again?”

            “Jersey, an old friend of Pearl Meyers.”

            “I see.  Well, she’ll be one heck of an addition to our team, she’s strong, tough, and smart.”

            “Don’t get too attached to her, she might only be around for a short amount of time,” Yellow Diamond coldly stated.  “Make sure to keep her busy and don’t leave her unsupervised whenever she is out of her room.”

            “Wait, am I supposed to guard her door day and night then?  I thought this was just my new daytime assignment for the next few weeks or months.”

            “No, you are only to monitor her in the day time and keep her busy with the hard labor tasks so she is exhausted by the end of every day.  During the night, I have another assigned to tail her if she ever does leave the room.”

            “Yeah, ok,” Connor scratched the back of her neck.  “Is there a reason why she is treated with such caution?  I get that she’s a new recruit and all, but usually we aren’t _that_ careful.”

            Yellow eyes flickered up to look into amber ones.

            “You said so yourself, she did phenomenal on the tests.  Wouldn’t it be silly to just immediately trust such a skilled person and not keep a closer eye on them?”

            “Y-yes, Yellow Diamond,” Connor rapidly agreed.  “Don’t worry, I won’t let her out of my sight.”

            “That is all, you can go,” the Drug Lord waved off.

            “Thank you,” the skinny woman quickly bowed and left.

 

            At 6:30 am Garnet’s alarm went off again.  The two got up, ate a piece of fruit, and went their separate ways for the day.  Pearl forced her concern for Garnet’s safety out of her mind as she got to work with the dangerous chemicals, getting blown up would not help.  With another 5kg made, the thin woman wandered around for a little bit; as much as she could with Lindsey silently following her everywhere, and at times preventing her from going in certain areas.  Pearl found the cafeteria and assembled a clamshell of lean proteins, carbs, and other things Garnet would eat as she picked out a few things herself.  With some more exploring, she eventually headed back to the room to wait for the dark woman to return.  Like the previous day, Garnet didn’t get back until late at night.  She looked exhausted and her clothes still sported a few splotches of blood.  Pearl was given a small smile and a “thanks” for the food that was certainly the best part of her day.  They had a quick texting conversation on any progress they had that day, Garnet sent an update to Captain Green, and they searched for any new bugs.  The same ones were in their spots with no new ones popping up.  Once again, Pearl convinced Garnet to take the bed.  The dark woman didn’t put up much of a fight and was asleep in moments.

            Several days passed like this, faster than Pearl wanted.  They were making so little progress in finding Steven and Amethyst.  Garnet was always exhausted, she would make it back late at night, they would exchange their findings for the day, try to come up with a plan, send a report, search the room, then the woman would be asleep on the bed in minutes.  Regardless, Pearl didn’t give up and did her best to look out for her partner, Garnet would be given a break eventually and she was getting better at shaking Lindsey off her tail so she could do more exploring. 

           

            Pearl tossed in her sleep yet again as she tried to find a more comfortable spot on the floor.  She sighed in defeat as she rolled onto her left side and winced in discomfort.  That side was sore from being slept on last night.

            _Time to try the back or switch to the right side._

The pale woman laid on her back and stared up at the dark ceiling.  She’d never openly admit it, but Garnet was right, she didn’t sleep well on hard surfaces.  The exhaustion of the past week and a half was slowly catching up to her.

            _Garnet needs the bed more than I do, I can come here and rest after cooking._

A grumble slipped past her lips as her back started aching and she resorted to trying her right side again.

            “Pearl?” Garnet’s groggy voice broke through the stillness of the night.

            “Yes?” the thin woman couldn’t believe her partner was awake.

            “You’re tossin’ and turnin’ again.”

            “Sorry, I’ll be quiet.”

            “Nh-” Garnet grumbled.

            Pearl tensed when she felt a warm hand reach down and grasp her small bicep.

            “There’s enough room for the both of us,” the dark woman sleepily stated as she pulled Pearl up towards the bed.

            “Ar-are you sure?”

            “C’mon, you need your sleep too, you’ve been lookin’ tired.”

            The pale woman didn’t put up any further protest as she was guided into the bed.

            “Jus’ stick to your side and I’ll stay on mine,” Garnet stated as she fell back asleep.

            Pearl smiled and laid back on the bed, her body singing in relief at the softer and warmer surface.  She was asleep in seconds.

 

            Sharing the bed became part of the routine.  They stuck to their sides, and any accidental kicks or bumps were just waved off.  It took only a couple of nights of sleeping on the bed for Pearl to recover from her sleep deprivation.  There was one instance a week after they started sharing the bed where Pearl woke up to find Garnet spooning her.  Strong arms were wrapped around her thin waist, curvaceous body pressed against the back half of hers, and Garnet’s slow breathing ruffling her short strawberry blonde hair.  Pearl carefully woke up the dark woman, who immediately released her, scooted back to her side, and apologized profusely for crossing the designated sides.  Pearl didn’t mind, she actually secretly enjoyed getting to share a bed with Garnet again, it reminded her of the good times in their past relationship.  They didn’t bring up the incident again and Garnet never moved from her half of the bed.

            The dark woman’s injuries from the initiation and day-to-day work slowly healed, and she was showing greater signs of energy with each passing day despite how laborious her daily tasks were.  Pearl was relieved at her partner’s recovery.  They could do this, they had to do this.  Tomorrow she was going to finish the last bit of the 100kg of meth and they would know for sure if Yellow Diamond would stick to her end of the deal or not.

 

            Pearl watched Yellow Diamond as the woman measured the last bag and examined the test samples.  Yellow eyes looked up at her.

            “100 kilograms, just like I promised at the quality you want.  Now, are you going to fulfill your end of the deal?” the pale woman pressed.

            “This certainly is what I asked for.  You did a great job Pearl.”

            “So, are you going to release Steven and Amethyst?  You know, let them return to their families they have been gone from for nearly a month?!”

            The Drug Lord sighed and rubbed her forehead.  “Yes they have been here for that long, and I would love to release them, but I can’t.”

            “WHAT!?” Pearl jumped to her feet and slammed her hands on the foldable plastic table.  “What the fuck are you saying?  Some bullshit that you ‘can’t’ release them?  It’s completely in your hands to release them!”

            “Pearl,” Yellow Diamond narrowed her eyes dangerously.  “They can’t be released because they know too much and could divulge information about me that could get this whole business shut down.”

            “Just what have you had them doing?!”

            “They have been helping me out where they can, I wasn’t just going to have the two sit in a room day and night being a drain on my resources.”

            Pearl gritted her teeth as her temper only increased.  “I don’t care!  That was our deal!  They are the reason why I’m here making this shit for you!”

            “And I am changing the deal.  Why would you think I would willingly give up the leverage I have over you?  You’ve made it plenty clear that you don’t want to work for me, so I had to resort to forcing you to.  I would only give them up if I had some other means of ensuring that you would stay.  That is until you decide you want to stay and work for me.”  The Drug Lord let the sentence hang in the air for a moment.  “Or perhaps there’s someone else you care about to a similar level?”

            The pale woman shut her mouth and tensed up.  One other person did come to mind, but Pearl didn’t dare to utter it.  She didn’t want to put Garnet into any greater danger than she already was.

            “This whole situation could be resolved if you cooperated long enough that I could trust you and let you enjoy the perks of being part of my organization.  I don’t like having to keep a close watch on you and treating you like a prisoner instead of one of my valuable members.”

            “I never wanted to return to this life,” Pearl growled.  “You’re the one who dragged me back into it instead of going for any of your other options.”

            “And I’m telling you that it doesn’t have to be as horrible as you’re making it out to be.”

            “Oh really?!  Even if I did enjoy being part of your gang and you trusted me, would you let Steven and Amethyst go?”

            Yellow Diamond paused to consider the question.  “No.”

            Pearl huffed and looked to the side.

            “Steven and Amethyst will have to remain with me.  They’ve seen too much and I would be a fool to let them go,” Yellow Diamond stated as she stood up.  “I would put my entire organization in danger.  However, on a good note, you can take a break for a couple of days.  I won’t need another 100 kilograms until the end of next month, so you have until then to make it.  I suggest you get some fresh air or some sleep.”

            The thin woman stared blankly at the floor.  They had failed.  Yellow Diamond had all the chips and they were powerless against her.

            “C-can I see them?”

            “I can arrange for that, I’ll contact you in a couple of days on the details.”

            With that the Drug Lord called in her goons to take the meth away.  Before the woman left the room, she glanced over her shoulder and spoke.

            “Remember, with good behavior, you will be rewarded with the things that matter to you.”

            As the sound of the door closing, Pearl fell to her knees and curled into a ball.  Thin shoulders shook as hot tears streamed down her face.

            _We are in over our heads, there’s no way any of us are getting out._

            Fingers gripped the brass doorknob and turned, a shoulder pressed against the door to help shove it open.  Pearl stumbled into her “home” and let the hinged object shut behind her.  Light blue eyes stared blankly at the thinly carpeted floor.

            “Pearl?” a groggy voice called out to her.

            The downcast woman looked up to see Garnet getting off the bed and walking towards her as she rubbed one eye underneath her reflective sunglasses.

            “How’d your meeting go?”

            Eyes shifted back to the floor as she felt tears sting in the corner of her eyes.

            “She’s not going to release them,” Pearl hoarsely stated, “Ever.”

            Garnet breathed out heavily.  “I’m not surprised.”

            Pale hands clenched into fists.  “She has them working for her!” she quietly exclaimed.  “Helping her with her shit!  Who does that to a couple of teenagers?  They did nothing to deserve this!  They are only here because they are friends with this piece of shit,” Pearl motioned to herself as tears ran down her cheeks once again.  “They don’t deserve to be stuck in this life,” she whimpered.

            Garnet took a step closer and pulled Pearl into a hug with her warm, strong arms.  The pale woman grabbed the sides of the taller woman’s shirt as she sobbed into the crook of Garnet’s neck.  Nothing was said, they just held each other.  Pearl turned her head sideways, her ear right over where the dark woman’s heart was steadily beating.  She let out a long breath as she listened to the soothing sound.

            “Connor told me I have the next two days off to rest and recover before I am going to be put to work again,” Garnet lowly whispered to her.  “I’m sorry I haven’t been of any help lately, but I will be able to do some searching these couple of days.  Yellow Diamond hasn’t won, we are both still here, we will find Steven and Amethyst, and get them back to their families.   It’s your turn to take some time to rest and recover, you’ve been working really hard to try and strike a deal with Yellow Diamond.”

            Pearl couldn’t find the energy to argue.  After wiping away her tears, the two of them ate a small dinner, sent yet another disappointing report to Jasper, and went to bed.  The pale woman blinked back a few more tears as she lay on her side facing the wall.  She felt hollow, weak, and alone.

            _Garnet is right there, you’re not alone._

Did she dare?  Pearl closed her eyes and tried to force herself to sleep.  A strangled sob shook her frame instead.

            _We are never getting them out.  I should have come when Yellow Diamond first offered._

“Pearl?” came Garnet’s concerned voice.  “Are you ok?”

            “I’m fine,” she said in a surprisingly convincing tone.

            “Oh, ok, I just was checking.”

            _Talk to her!_

The pale woman opened her mouth to call out Garnet’s name, but stopped, it was Cherise.  Pearl frowned, saying Cherise’s name didn’t feel right for what she was considering asking.

            “C-can you hold me?” she stuttered.

            There was no immediate response.  Light blue eyes were tightly closed as Pearl cursed herself.  A shift in the bed caught her attention.

            “Are you ok, Pearl?” the voice was closer.

            Pearl swallowed her pride and turned around to face Garnet who was looking at her through her reflective sunglasses.  The pale woman would never understand why Garnet didn’t even take them off while she was sleeping.

            “I-I’m not.  I-I feel so alone.”

            Light blue eyes watched for any change in Garnet’s expressionless mask, but couldn’t find any.

            _I’m such a stupid piece of shit!  Why’d I open up like that?  She probably thinks I’m desperate!_

The negative thoughts were stopped as Garnet scooted even closer and wrapped a warm arm around Pearl, effortlessly pulling her close.  Muscular legs intertwined with her thin ones and Pearl instinctively curled into Garnet’s front, her face pressed up against the dark woman’s collarbone.

            “You’re not alone.  I’m here,” Garnet’s deep accented voice rumbled against her hair.

            Pearl wrapped her arms around Garnet and cried in her arms for the second time that day.  Slowly her sobs stopped and her breathing evened out.  Once Pearl had calmed down, Garnet didn’t move away.  Instead, they fell asleep holding onto each other.

 

            Covered eyes opened as a hand reached for the phone that was currently vibrating.  It was a message from Bismuth inquiring on their status today.  Garnet scratched the back of her neck and typed a simple reply.

            Rainbow Hair- [What game are you playing at the party?]

            Captain Square- [Playin’ Hide-n-go-Seek]

            Rainbow Hair- [Nice.  Is it your turn to count?]

            Captain Square- [Yup, been having trouble finding everyone though.  They’re good at this game.]

            Rainbow Hair- [Sometimes it’s the obvious spots that get overlooked.  How’s the party hat holding up?]

            Captain Square- [Good suggestion.  The string is a bit tight, feeling too much pressure.]

            Rainbow Hair- [Well enjoy the party, let me know when you’ll be done.]

            Captain Square- [Will do.]

            Garnet carefully untangled herself from Pearl, trying not to wake the smaller woman.  She got up, twisted her back, and let out a satisfied sigh as it popped several times.  Arms gathered up their dirty clothes from the week.  It was her turn to do laundry.  She wrote a quick note and slipped it into Pearl’s hand.  Connor wasn’t waiting for her outside of the door, which was unusual, but the dark woman wasn’t complaining.  The laundromat was thankfully empty so she could grab any machine she wanted, throw in a few quarters, and think while the machine rumbled on.

            Steven and Amethyst could be in any one of the six buildings that Yellow Diamond owned.  The Central building was the residential area, outfitted for sleeping and accommodating people for a long period of time.  The North building was where Pearl worked in the basement and had the opportunity to check the four floors, while being tailed.  The West building was a long, one story building that contained all of the recreational rooms, the cafeteria, and kitchens.  The South building held the entrance to the underground parking garage, and a lot of the offices, including Yellow Diamond’s.  The East building was a warehouse full of all sorts of things from weapons, to drugs, to mechanical and technical equipment; all items to be sold or used as the Drug Lord deemed fit.  Lastly, there was the South-East building that contained the shooting range, gym, and hallways full of blank doors.  Of all the buildings, the ones most likely to house Amethyst and Steven would be the South, North, and Central buildings.  Garnet frowned as she moved the first batch of clothes to the dryer and started the second load.  In the daytime, she would map out all of the hallways and doors in the three buildings, hopefully without Connor following her.  Once it hit nighttime, she would search them, try to sneak into a number of the doors and possibly hear either of the two teens.  Hopefully, she could do so without running into any issues.

            As the dryer rumbled on Garnet’s thoughts wandered back to the moment Pearl and her had shared.  While Pearl had been the one needing the physical comfort, Garnet wouldn’t deny that it had helped her as well.  She had slept soundly without any dreams of being found out, tortured, and killed by Yellow Diamond or her goons.  A hand brushed off a microscopic piece of lint on her shirt.  Her stress levels were at an all-time high.  Being undercover this long and in such a volatile environment was eating away at her normally composed self.  Garnet breathed out and rolled her shoulders back at the sound of the dryer finishing.  There was no time to complain, it was her time to find some clues.

            With the laundry done, the dark woman headed back upstairs to put their clothes back.  When she entered their room, Pearl was still asleep on the bed.  Garnet silently put away their clothes, ate a piece of fruit, grabbed an extra one, wrote a new note for Pearl, and headed out the door.  Luckily, Connor still wasn’t waiting for her.

_Maybe she has the day off too, or that I get a day off from being monitored._

            Searching the floors of the North and Central buildings was uneventful; she walked with confidence, and as a result most passersby didn’t give her a second glance.  The South building was a different animal.  Beyond the underground parking lot and the first level, Garnet was greeted by a pair of serious bodyguards at any stair or elevator exits for the floors above that.  They knew she wasn’t allowed there and promptly threw her out of the building.  Garnet dusted herself off and examined the South building from the outside, trying to find any potential routes into the place aside from the traditional stairs or elevator, or a clue to what was in the building.  Her second attempt to get higher in the South building, by sneaking past the guards resulted in a heated chase down a hallway, getting cornered by another set of guards, and being held still while being hit hard in the face and gut several times.  They left her with a severe warning that if she attempted to access the upper levels of the South building again, they would kill her.  Garnet was left bent over on her knees as she tried to regain her breathing.  Droplets of blood slowly fell from her nose and lips to dot the cold, grey concrete a few inches below her face.  For a moment, the dark woman mused about how the sight of her own blood had become a daily occurrence.

            “Well look who’s pissed off the guards,” a familiar voice approached her along with the crunch of shoes against the pebble-ridden concrete.  “I thought you were going to sleep in on your day off, apparently not.”

            A hand rubbed Garnet’s shoulder, causing her to swiftly scoot away and jump to her feet.  Connor regarded Garnet with a surprised face, and then her usual smirk.

            “You looking for trouble?  Cause that’s one way to get into it.”

            “I was just lookin’ around, no one ever said I couldn’t go there,” Garnet defended as she used her shirt to wipe the blood off her face.

            Amber eyes were rolled around, a puff of air pushed through round lips as Connor sighed.  “They told you that the first time they kicked you out, and you still went back in.  What are you looking for?”

            “Just tryin’ to get to know the place better, that’s all.”

            “Well, since it seems you don’t really need a couple of days off to rest, you can help me with some stuff,” Connor smirked as she slung her arm around Garnet’s shoulders and steered her off towards the South-East building.

            “Bu-but, I was-”

            “Aw don’t whine, it won’t be too bad.  Just some combat training, I want to see how good of a shot you are.  And we can possibly throw in a game of basketball or two while we’re at it.”

            Garnet inwardly cursed.  The rest of her plans for the day got derailed.  First they spent a couple of hours at the shooting range, then a few games of basketball in the thin layer of snow that had formed throughout the day, then Connor took her over to the activity area of the West building.  As each hour ticked by and every single of her attempts to slip away were thwarted, Garnet’s frustration grew.  She was supposed to be looking for Steven and Amethyst!  Yet here she was playing a game of pool against another one of Yellow Diamond’s gangsters.  Like usual, Connor followed her like a second shadow.  If Garnet did manage to make an excuse of leaving for the bathroom, the brown woman would appear right behind her in a couple of seconds and stick with her the whole time.  By the time she was finally able to leave the group and not have Connor follow her it was nearly ten o’clock at night.  Garnet shut the door to her and Pearl’s room behind her and slid to the floor bracing her head against her hands.  She did nothing today.  Absolutely nothing.  How was she supposed to be a help in this?!  It was her plan, and now everything was failing.  It was her fault they were going to get stuck here.

            “How was your day off?  Did you do anything fun?” Pearl’s voice pulled Garnet’s gaze upwards.

            The pale woman looked rested, and worried.  Covered eyes darted off to the side as thick lips were pushed into a thin line.

            “It was fun, got to play a bunch of games with my new friends,” the woman with the braided bun tried to sound happy about it, but that was far from the truth.

            “What kind of games?” Pearl asked as she held up her phone for a brief second; Garnet pulled out hers just as it buzzed with a new message.

            Party Hat- [How’d things go?  Did you find anything?]

            “Shot some targets, played pool, and a lot of basketball.”

            Captain Square- [I was able to map out some hallways in the North and Central buildings, but when I went into the South I ran into issues with the guards.  Then Connor was on my ass the entire day taking me around to play the games and shit.  I was just now able to get away as they were starting to bring out the first round of vodka shots.]

            Pearl frowned.

            Party Hat- [I see…]

            “Sounds like it was fun,” the thin woman continued their other conversation.

            Captain Square- [I’m sorry.  I wasn’t able to do anything today, but I’ll keep working, I still have tomorrow off.]

            “Yeah it was, I’m getting to know them pretty well,” Garnet lied.

            “That’s good,” Pearl responded, her attention completely on the phone in front of her.

            Part Hat- [It’s ok.  Connor is assigned to keep an eye on you, just like Lindsey is for me.  I have more weight to throw around, so I’ll try looking in the South building tomorrow.]

            The woman with the twisted bun numbly nodded at the text.  A hand was extended towards her.  Garnet looked up to see Pearl offering to help her stand.  She reluctantly grabbed it and Pearl pulled her to her feet with some effort.

            “Thanks,” the dark woman said as she scratched the back of her neck.

            “No problem,” Pearl shrugged.

            After eating a whole carrot, Garnet headed out once again to try a more thorough search of the North and Central buildings.  Mike, the individual who would follow her around in the nighttime, appeared right behind her as soon as she was walking down the hall.  It took a bit, but Garnet was able to lose him by weaving through the drunk crowd of gangsters in the West building.  With her second shadow gone, Garnet crept in the shadows, avoided contact with anyone, and tried a number of the doors.  Most were locked and silent.  The few that did open were either empty rooms or closets, or rooms filled with random pieces of furniture or foldable chairs and tables.  For several hours she was able to look, only to find nothing that would lead her to the whereabouts of Steven and Amethyst.  At 2am Garnet trudged back to the room to get some sleep.  She traded texting reports with Pearl and sent an update to Jasper.  Pearl had about the same luck in the areas she looked.  The dark woman went to sleep wondering if the two teenagers were even at Yellow Diamond’s place at all.

           

            Garnet awoke to the sound of someone banging on their door.  She got to her feet and stumbled over towards the sound.  The door was carefully opened to reveal Connor.

            “What’s up?” Garnet asked, groggily.

            “Yo, we need you today.  Get ready and meet me in the courtyard in ten.”

            “What?  It’s my-”

            “Ten minutes!” Connor called as she began to walk away.  “Don’t be late!”

            Garnet closed the door.

            “Fuck,” she whispered as she ran her hand under her sunglasses, gently rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

            Covered eyes glanced at Pearl who was sleeping soundly on the bed.  A frown settled onto her face.  Garnet quickly got herself ready, slipped on her hoodie, left a note, and grabbed a piece of fruit for breakfast.  Down in the courtyard she found Connor picking out a few more helpers from the small gathering there.

            “Alright!  Come with me, we got some remodeling to do,” the sandy haired woman waved for the selected individuals to follow her.

            Garnet quickly ate her apple and moved along with the group.  They walked all the way to the edge of the buildings where a chain link fence was put up.  Connor opened up the gate in the fence and directed them over to the truck that was waiting over fifty feet away.

            “Listen up peeps!  Yellow Diamond is going to be installing a new fence to border this area.  You all are going to help make that happen.”

            The dark woman breathed out evenly.  It didn’t look like she was going to be getting out of this job any time soon.

            They worked until the grey cloudy skies became dark, with a few breaks for water and food, and then kept working for a couple more hours by headlight in freezing temperatures.  By the time Garnet was able to get back to her room she was frozen, dead tired, and could barely keep her eyes open.  She tried to open the door, but it was locked.

_Pearl must be out.  Hopefully she is having better luck than I am._

            The dark woman sat down and rested her back against the wall next to the door.  She would rest here until the pale woman came back.

 

            Pearl walked down the hallway towards her shared bedroom.  She lifted a tissue up to dab her mouth and nose again, checking if they were still bleeding or not.  Light blue eyes glanced down to check the results.  No blood.  A sigh of relief pushed passed her cut, thin lips.

_Finally…_

            As she neared the door her eyes caught sight of a figure slumped against the wall, obviously sound asleep.  Pearl stopped in front of Garnet and internally debated on the best way to wake the woman.  Eventually she decided on gently nudging one booted foot with her worn blue flats.  The dark woman jerked awake, her hand shooting behind her back, where Pearl knew she kept her gun.

            “Rough day?  I thought they were supposed to give you it off,” the thin woman spoke first.

            Garnet frowned and slowly got to her feet.

            “Change of plans.”

            Reflective sunglasses studied her.

            “Looks like you didn’t have a much better time either.  Was it the South building guards?”

            “Yeah,” Pearl shrugged off as she unlocked the door and walked in.  “Tried talking my way through and they didn’t like that at all.  Woke up on the concrete with these new features and a few other spots that will be showing up tomorrow.”

            Garnet hummed in understanding.

            “I do have good news though.”

            “Yeah?”

            “Tomorrow Yellow Diamond has set up a meeting for me to see Steven and Amethyst.”

            “That’s great news!” the dark woman smiled.  “When and where?”

            “9:00am and she said I would be taken to the place,” Pearl informed.

            Garnet nodded and was deep in thought for a moment.  She extended a hand to Pearl, an invitation to have a close conversation.  The pale woman smiled softly and stepped into the comforting, yet surprisingly cold embrace.

            “We don’t know how supervised your meeting will be, but if there is any way to find out where they are being kept, what they’re doing, or anything you can give them that they can use to signal their location.  That would be huge,” Garnet breathily whispered.

            “Like a handkerchief they could tie to a doorknob?  Or a sign they could write or carve?”

            “Anything, even ketchup splatters on the wall.  Something discrete but that we could see and recognize.  A knock pattern even.”

            “I got one, how about this, three knocks, a pause, then two knocks.  The responding person would confirm by mirroring the pattern.”

            “So if I go like this,” Garnet paused as she tapped Pearl on the back three times, stopped, then tapped twice.  “You would go like…”

            “This,” Pearl quietly confirmed as she tapped Garnet’s side twice, paused, then tapped three times.

            Pearl could feel Garnet’s smile as the woman’s face was pressed against the side of hers.  She smiled in response.

            “We can do this,” Garnet confidently whispered.

            The two showered, ate, and went to bed with improved spirits.  Tomorrow would be the first step towards rescuing the two teenagers in a long time.

 

            Being escorted to the meeting with Amethyst and Steven was expected, but being blindfolded and guided by one of the guard’s voices was not.  Pearl struggled at first to follow the prompts and stumbled around for a bit, occasionally knocking her bruises on a wall, corner, or random obstacle that had to be as tall as her shin.  However, they steadily made their way towards the unknown destination.  After what seemed like forever, she was shoved in a room and the blindfold was roughly pulled off.

            “Hey!” she turned to lash at the guard when two sorely missed voices reached her ears.

            “PEARL!” Steven and Amethyst shouted as they ran to her.

            “Steven!  Amethyst!”

            Pearl ran and fell down to her knees to hug them as tightly as she could, never wanting to let them go.

            “We’re so glad to see you!” Amethyst sobbed.

            “Don’t ever leave!” Steven added.

            The pale woman held them tighter, tears streaming down her cheeks.  “I won’t ever let you two go.”

            “Alright, that’s long enough, step back!” the cold authoritative voice cut through the moment.

            The three refused to separate.

            “I said!” the voice became angry as a firm hand latched onto Pearl’s shoulder and forced her away from Steven and Amethyst.  “That is long enough!” Yellow Diamond finished as she pushed the trio apart.

            “Pearl!” Steven cried as he tried to run back into her arms.

            His movement was cut short as a heeled boot stomped right in front of him.

            “Back to your chairs,” Yellow Diamond venomously snapped.

            Steven’s face turned white and he scurried backwards until he was sitting straight in his chair.  Amethyst moved right with him, her eyes wide with fear.  The pale woman noticed that both Steven and Amethyst were wearing different clothes than they usually would.  They both were wearing a pair of jeans, and a t-shirt.  Steven’s t-shirt was pink, while Amethyst’s was black.  Light blue eyes quickly scanned the room they were in.  It was medium-sized with a concrete floor and brick walls, all of it white-washed.  Aside from the four chairs, there were no other furnishings.  From what Pearl learned in her searches, they must be in a room in the South-East building.

            “Here are the rules for any and all visits,” the Drug Lord began.

            Pearl glared daggers at the hated woman.

            “You are to stay in your chairs at all times except for the brief hug allowed at the beginning.  Brief meaning no longer than five seconds.  You are free to talk openly about anything except for any details related to the work you do for me or where your residence is.  Any ‘accidental’ slips will be addressed accordingly with privileges revoked and rearrangements made as seen fit.  I don’t have to let you see each other at all, this is a privilege that can be very easily taken away.  On that note, I suggest you all behave and enjoy the time you do have.”

            With that, Yellow Diamond sat down in a chair.  Steven and Amethyst sat right next to each other, while Pearl was directed to sit in a chair that faced the two teens.  Yellow Diamond’s chair was off to the side by a couple of feet and faced all three of them.  Pearl managed a watery smile.

            “I’m so happy to see you both alive and well.  Are you hurt?  Have they been kind and respectful to you?” Pearl quickly asked.

            “We’re both doing better,” Amethyst nervously chuckled, her violet eyes flickering over to where Yellow Diamond was silently watching them.  “The first few days, were rough.”

            “But Smokey is really cool!” Steven piped up.

            “Smokey?”

            “Yeah, they are the one who watches over us.  We like them, they have some cool tricks with their kni-I mean yo-yos.”

            “Smokey doesn’t get super upset when we mess up either or aren’t as fast as some of the other people,” Amethyst added.  “Other than that, I hate being here.”

            “I know the feeling,” Pearl stared at the floor.  “I’m sorry.  It was because of me that you two were kidnapped.”

            “We know,” Steven quietly admitted, his young face becoming very somber.  “Yellow Diamond explained to us why you’re here and what you’re doing for her.”

            “Oh really?” Pearl raised an eyebrow at the Drug Lord.  “What else did she say?”

            The two teens exchanged a nervous glance.

            “She said that if you failed to perform as expected that things could get harder for us,” Steven stared at the floor and twiddled his thumbs.

            “Oh…” Pearl wanted to scream in outrage, but she held it in.  “Don’t you worry, that won’t happen.  I’ll do my best so you two are treated how you should be,” the last part of the sentence was firmly directed to the Drug Lord.

            “You have three more minutes,” Yellow Diamond simply informed.

            “What?!  We just barely got here!”

            “I don’t suggest wasting your time arguing with me, Pearl,” was the cool response.

            Pearl pursed her lips, then faced her two loved ones with a sad smile.  As she began to speak she put one hand on the inside of her thigh and tapped three fingers then two, then reversed it.

            “Have you learned anything cool?  Are they feeding you well?  Do you have a bed to sleep on?”

            Pearl continued to make the movement, hoping that Yellow Diamond wouldn’t notice from her spot.

            “Yeah, we share a room, got two beds, and a bathroom.  We have other clothes to wear aside from the stuff we were kidnapped in,” Amethyst motioned to her clothes, her eyes catching the signal Pearl was sending.

            The plump teen mimicked the pattern.  Pearl contained her joy and did it a couple more times back and forth with Amethyst before stopping.

            “I’ve learned a few things I can’t mention, but Smokey likes some of my suggestions.  They say we might get to try some of them out!” Steven added.

            “Really?  That’s very nice of them.  I’m so happy to hear you’re ok.  Don’t worry, I’ll be here for you two.  If things aren’t going well, let me know and I’ll work something out.”

            “P?”

            “Yes, Amethyst?”

            “Are you stuck here forever…because of us?”

            Pearl swallowed, she didn’t know how to answer the question.

            “You have one minute,” Yellow Diamond informed.

            “Amethyst, Steven, there is nowhere I’d rather be right now than here talking to you two.  I’m sorry I got you all in my mess, I will try to make it up to you, ok?”

            The two teens nodded in understanding.

            “We love you P,” Amethyst weakly smiled

            “See you soon?” Steven tried to sound optimistic.

            “Yes, I will see you both very soon.”

            “Time’s up,” the Drug Lord announced.

            Pearl was immediately blindfolded and pulled up from her chair by her armpits.

            “Hey!  At least let me say good-bye!”

            “You can say it as you walk,” Yellow Diamond’s voice came from her right side.

            “I’ll see you soon!  I love you!” Pearl shouted over her shoulder as she was dragged out of the room.

            The trip back to her room was shorter than the trip to see Steven and Amethyst.  In minutes, the blindfold was removed and she found herself facing her door.  Pearl walked in and collapsed on the bed.  Multiple emotions tore through her at once.  Relief in seeing the two in good shape and relatively decent spirits.  Anger at them being held captive in the first place.  Frustration for being limited in hugs and time spent together.  Sadness in that she had no idea where to find them.  Finally, happiness in being able to hug and talk to them.  The pale woman breathed out and slowly closed her eyes.

_We’ll get you both out.  I promise._

            When Garnet got back from her day’s work, Pearl recounted the meeting she had with Steven and Amethyst and the successful passing of the knock pattern as they held each other close and spoke in barely audible tones.  Garnet was relieved to find that the two were relatively ok and that they were at least being looked over by someone who was kind.  Pearl and Garnet agreed that they needed to double their efforts in finding them.  Garnet devoted as many nighttime hours as she could to tapping on doors with the pattern whenever she was able to shake Mike off her trail.  Pearl would do that same in her free time when she was not being monitored by Lindsey.  However, days passed without any luck.  Their daily reports back to Jasper were always the same; the officers on the other side tried to be encouraging, but she could tell that they were losing confidence in the operation.  Garnet and Pearl tried to stay positive and keep looking when it seemed that they would never find the two teens.

            One night after attempting to look around yet again, the two laid together on the bed.  Neither had specifically asked to be held, they just had moved to the comfortable position; an occurrence that was happening more and more as the days wore on.  Garnet stared out into the darkness of the room as Pearl’s warm breath brushed against her collarbone.

            “Where could they be?” the pale woman whispered.

            The dark woman shrugged.  She was out of ideas aside from them being kept in the South building.  But that one was a death sentence to her, and Pearl would only get beaten up worse the next time.

            “Have you heard of a Smokey?” Pearl asked.

            Garnet made a low grunt in response.

            “Maybe we should try asking around about someone named that.  Carefully of course, I don’t want Yellow Diamond catching wind.”

            Covered eyes blinked slowly.  What did Yellow Diamond not know about their movements?  It felt like the woman had them pinned down in each spot and they were only just barely able to sneak away occasionally.

            “What things do you think she’s having them do?” Pearl continued.

            The dark woman breathed out heavily as she considered the thin woman’s question.

            “It would be odd for Yellow Diamond to have them working with the drugs, or any sort of important equipment.  Most likely she would keep them doing easy stuff.  Things that can be redone or it doesn’t matter if it’s not perfect,” lowly muttered.

            “Like what?”

            “Menial tasks, laundry, janitorial, kitchen prep even.”

            Pearl hummed thoughtfully.

            “It can’t be laundry, we do our own and I don’t think there’s enough generated to keep them busy.  And janitorial they risk being seen, as they would be changing locations a lot.  The kitchen then?”

            “Possibly, but then again, I’m sure there are people who have other people do their laundry for them, so we can’t rule that out.  I like your reasoning for eliminating the janitorial though.”

            “Oh!  Thanks,” Pearl quietly exclaimed.

            The pale woman held onto to Garnet tighter, any remaining space between them disappearing.  Large hands rubbed small circles into Pearl’s back as the smaller woman’s breathing evened out and deepened.  It wasn’t long before she was fast asleep and her hold loosened.  They needed to figure out a plan to search the South building and find the person named Smokey.  Both would be risky endeavors, but Steven’s and Amethyst’s freedom was worth it.  Garnet fell asleep not too much later than Pearl, her mind and body needed the rest.

 

            Inquiring about someone named Smokey was unsurprisingly hard.  She never got the chance to ask about the person since Connor was hovering around her any time she was around other members of Yellow Diamond’s gang.   So, the dark woman adjusted her tactic and inquired about who was in charge of the kitchens or if there were people assigned to doing laundry on a regular basis.  With that she did find out that there was a small group assigned to doing the higher ranked individuals’ laundry and that a large number of people worked in the kitchens at varying hours.  It wasn’t much, but it was something.

 

            One morning, the exhausted dark woman awoke from her three-hour rest and decided for a change of pace to head to the West building to grab a hot breakfast for the both of them.  Covered eyes stared blankly down at the options laid out.  Garnet almost fell asleep standing there, but snapped back when she felt herself teetering.  She shook her head and took several deep breaths.  Eyes looked over the spread once again.  Eggs, bacon, hash brown squares, pizza, muffins, cereal, oatmeal.

_Wait…pizza?_

            Garnet looked back at the pizza.  It wasn’t pizza in the traditional sense, it was on a bagel.  The plain bagel was split in half, then had tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni all over it.  Just like a pizza, but on a bagel.  Garnet picked up two halves and set it in her Styrofoam clamshell.  She brought one up to her mouth to take a bite.  A hidden flavor hit her tongue causing her to pause.

_Cream cheese?  In a pizza bagel?_

            It was flavorful, unique, and so…the dark woman quickly grabbed a couple of random pieces of food to throw in the clamshell and practically sprinted back to their room.  The door burst open a little harder than she intended, but she really didn’t care and it woke Pearl up.

            “What the fuck is going on?!” Pearl snapped awake, her switchblade immediately out.

            “Pearl!” Garnet tried to rein in her excitement as she walked over.  “Try this.”

            “Garnet?  Don’t do that again unless there’s an emergency.”

            “Sorry, but you need to taste this.”

            “Taste what?” the pale woman put away her switchblade and rubbed her face.  “I literally just got shocked awake.”

            “I know, but just humor me,” Garnet waved off as she held the pizza bagel out to Pearl.

            “Fine…”

            Pearl took the item and bit into it.  The dark woman waited on pins and needles as the thin woman slowly chewed and swallowed.  A chuckle slipped past thin lips.

            “A pizza bagel…you know this kinda reminds me of something…” Light blue eyes widened in realization.

            Garnet quickly covered Pearl’s mouth before she could blurt out her next words and pulled the thin woman in for a hug.

            “They’re working in the kitchen,” the woman with the braided bun whispered into the pale woman’s ear.

            “Oh my stars…” Pearl quietly sobbed as she held onto Garnet tightly.  “They must be housed near the kitchens or something.”

            “I’m going to check there tonight.  See if I can’t find some areas that would pass for rooms or something.”

            The pale woman’s head nodded against her shoulder.  They quietly enjoyed the pizza bagels until they were called to report to their jobs.  Garnet walked with improved spirits towards the fence they were working on building.

_We can do this._

            It took painstakingly long for the day to pass so Garnet could head out and look through the West building.  After a quick check-in with Pearl and a message to Bismuth and Sugilite telling them to be on high alert, the dark woman headed out.  Losing Mike didn’t take too long, she had become quite adept at fooling him.  Garnet crept through the recreational areas, examining those first, then made her way into the kitchen.  Covered eyes noticed two stepping stools positioned nearby the food preparation counter; another possible hint that the two short teenagers were working in the kitchens.  Beyond the area for the kitchen and food storage areas, there was a single hallway with someone walking towards the other end, their back towards Garnet.  From the size of the West building on the outside, there was still area left over to accommodate sizable rooms.  Garnet also noticed a couple of surveillance cameras positioned in a few key spots.

_For a random hallway, this place has high security._

            The dark woman had to pull back and hide as the walking individual turned out to be a guard.  When the guard had begun their march back towards the other end, Garnet peeked into the hallway.  The surveillance cameras were positioned so that the second door had no possible blind spots.  Garnet’s gut was telling her to get to that door.

_That has to be them._

            She hid again as the guard walked back towards her.  The dark woman counted footfalls and waited for the guard to head back down the hall.  Covered eyes glanced around looking for something she could use to secure the guard while she got to the door and got the two teens out.  A janitorial closet caught her attention.  Using one of the bobby pins that was in her twisted bun, Garnet silently unlocked it, shut herself inside, and assessed her options in the dim light of her cellphone.  She grabbed several trash bags and rolled them up to look like thin cord and looped them through her belt.  With her plan in mind she opened the closet door and listened for the footfalls of the guard.  Her heart raced as she waited for them to approach and then move away.  Garnet sprang to action, swiftly creeping down the hallway behind the guard.  With the butt of her gun she struck the back of their head and knocked them out.  Strong arms then quickly grabbed and dragged them into the janitorial closet where she tied them up and gagged them with the rolled up trash bags, ensuring that the knots were small and tight.  Garnet then locked them inside and sprinted down the hallway to the second door.  Trembling hands knocked three times, then two.  Heavy pants filled the silent area, as she waited for a response.  After twenty precious seconds, she repeated the pattern louder.  Still no response.  She tried a third time, even louder.  Just as she was reaching up for her bobby pin to unlock the door anyways, two knocks echoed back, followed by three.  Garnet suppressed a cry of joy.  Fingers quickly worked the bobby pin to unlock the door as she praised her teenage self for learning this skill.  With a pop, the lock was pushed back and the door was opened.  Covered eyes fell on two teenagers she had missed sorely.

            “Garnet?” Amethyst whispered.

            The dark woman nodded, words lost to her.

            “Garnet!” Steven quietly exclaimed as he rushed to her.

            Garnet kneeled down and hugged the two of them fiercely.

            “Are you here with Pearl?” Steven asked.

            “Yes.”

            “Are we getting out of here?” the silver haired teen hoped.

            “Yes.  Right now.”

            “Right now?”

            Garnet nodded as she released them.  “Do you have anything you need to grab?”

            They both shook their heads.

            “What about jackets?  It’s cold outside and might snow soon.”

            Steven and Amethyst quickly ran back and grabbed the same jackets they had been wearing when they were kidnapped; then rushed back to Garnet.

            “Alright, stay behind me and watch out for trouble, we are going to be as quiet as possible.”

            Amethyst and Steven nodded.  They quickly made their way out of the monitored hallway and hid behind the large metal dumpster outside of the West building to avoid the attention of the approaching group of goons; who were most likely to go search where they had just been.  Shaky fingers typed out a message to send to Pearl and another to Bismuth.

            “They’re hiding around here!” came the angry voices.  “FIND THEM!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you think they will escape? Find out next week.
> 
> Also Forever Tank made some awesome fanart of Smoke and Grit! Go check it out! You can find it here! (it's listed as a gift work to me :D)  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/10891731


	27. Rushed Escapes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little shorter chapter than the last one. However, this is going to be a very intense chapter, so be ready for that. That being said, I'm so excited to have gotten to this chapter.

^^^^^^

Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Steven try to escape.

^^^^^^

 

            Pearl paced around in the room as she waited for Garnet to come back from her search.  It had been a couple hours already and the dark woman couldn’t afford to be out too much longer, otherwise she wouldn’t get any rest and would be completely out of it the next day.  Pearl’s attention was rapidly drawn to the side as her phone vibrated.  A simple message popped up on her screen.

            Captain Square- [Found purple puma and the star.  Get to the car now.  Rainbow hair has been contacted and will be coming.]

            Party Hat- [Seriously?  Where are you?  Let me help.]

            Captain Square- [Get to the car, I will let you know when we’ve made it out.  Then get out of here as fast as you can.  If you don’t hear anything after fifteen minutes get out of here.]

            Pearl gritted her teeth as she gripped her thin hair.  She let out a deep breath to try and calm her racing heart.  The pale woman quickly grabbed both of their backpacks and opened the door.  Her eyes widened in surprise when she was greeted right outside her door.

            “Hey Pearl, you seen Cherise?” Connor said with her usual smirk.

            Like lightning, Pearl punched the tall woman in the jaw, stunning her and sending her stumbling backwards.  With a second direct hit Connor collapsed onto the floor unconscious.

            “Fuck no,” Pearl replied as she stepped over the woman and ran down the hallway.

 

            Bismuth pushed on the gas pedal as she drove her car towards the west side of Yellow Diamond’s base.  In the cup holder, her phone displayed a short texting conversation.

            Captain Square- [Get to my location on the west side of the base ASAP!  I have puma and star, YD has been alerted.]

            Rainbow Hair- [Can be there in seven minutes]

            Captain Square- [We’ll meet you on the other side of the fence near the long short building.  Goons will be in pursuit.]

            The woman with dreadlocks gritted her teeth as she made a quick turn; inwardly cursing that Bailey went into action after she had reached the furthest point of her patrol and that she had to stay a certain amount of distance away to avoid raising suspicion to begin with.

            _You all better be there Bailey!_

A broad hand grasped her radio.

            “Sugilite, do you copy?  Sugilite, do you copy?” she spoke into it.

            “Right here, what’s going on?  Your tracker shows you’re heading right for the base.  Did Garnet find them?”

            “Roger, Bailey has Steven and Amethyst, I’m going to pick them up on the west side.  I need you to get to there as fast as possible for back up, there’s going to be trouble.”

            “You got it!  I’m already on my way, eta five minutes.”

            “Roger that!”

            The radio was set aside and both hands gripped the steering wheel.

 

            Garnet surveyed their options as they took temporary cover behind the large metal dumpster.  Going through the West building to get to the fence was not an option, the whole inside was lit up with several goons searching through it for them.  Running north and going around the side of the building that was closer was an option, but there were a greater number of goons searching up there at the moment.  She decided that going south, the longer way, around the building was their best bet.  Covered eyes glanced at her wrist watch.  It was still five minutes before Bismuth could arrive.

            “What are we gonna do?” Amethyst whispered, her voice full of panic.

            Steven clung to Garnet’s arm like she was his only lifeline.

            “We are going to make a break for it down the long side of this building,” she pointed.  “Then we are going to head for the fence, climb over it, and meet my friend Bismuth on the other side.  She will take us to safety.”

            “Bismuth?” Steven questioned.

            “Broad shouldered, friendly, and has dreadlocks.  She’s a cop I worked with in Jersey.”

            The two teens nodded in understanding.

            “CHECK BEHIND AND INSIDE OF EVERYTHING!!” came an order from the goons searching the courtyard.

            “Keep running no matter what, don’t stop, ok?”

            “Ok,” the two said together, Amethyst with a hint of hesitation.

            “What about Pearl?” Steven asked.

            “She’s got my car, she’ll get out of here while everyone is distracted by us.”

            Garnet peeked out once again.  For now no one was looking in their direction, but that would soon change.  They had four minutes until Bismuth might arrive.  It was now or never.

            “Follow me,” the dark woman gently ordered, “stay in the shadows and move quickly.”

            She stepped out first, and waved for them to follow.  Sweat trickled down her body as they steadily moved down the mostly unlit side of the building.  So far no one had spotted them.  By some insane amount of luck they made it to the end of the building and bolted for the fence.

            _This is going to work!_

Long feet slipped through one of the unmonitored doors that led to the underground parking lot.  The commotion in the courtyard had acted as a great cover for her as she had made her way into the South building.  Pearl kept her head low as she weaved through all of the parked cars towards Garnet’s older green one.  Thin fingers felt the underside of the car and found the key.  She unlocked it and threw the backpacks inside, while checking that she still had her phone, knife, and gun with her.  Pearl then crouched low outside of the car and waited for any word from Garnet.  It had been ten minutes, in another five the dark woman had told her to leave.

            _You better get them out of here._

“I SEE THEM!” a voice cried out as a flashlight was shone in their direction.

Amethyst’s gut jumped and she ran faster towards the fence.

            “Go!” Garnet shouted from right behind her.  “Climb that fence!”

            The teen frowned as she looked up and saw the loops of barbed wire at the top, it wasn’t going to be a pretty climb, and she was worried about Steven.  Nonetheless she began to scramble up the frozen and wet chain-link fence with only a couple of slip-ups, she had climbed up fences like these multiple times.  When she reached the top, she glanced back to see Garnet hoisting Steven up so he could start climbing at a higher spot.  Amethyst studied the barbed wire, deciding that the best way to create an opening was to grab a couple of the loops and pull them to the side as much as possible.

            “Hey Steven!” she called just as he reached her.  “Climb over this opening.  Be careful, this stuff is sharp.”

            He nodded, his face set with determination.  Gingerly Steven climbed over and then jumped to the ground below.  Several pops echoed through the air causing Amethyst to look back.  She couldn’t see much detail through the small flurries of snow falling from the clouds overhead.  A couple louder ones rang out from just below her as Garnet was returning the fire with her gun.  The woman looked up at her.

            “Get over and go!  Don’t look back no matter what!”

            “But-!” she protested.

            “GO!”

            Amethyst swallowed and swung herself over, a couple of the barbs caught her legs and arms as they sprung back into place.  She hissed at the cuts and tears, but was thankful they didn’t halt her descent.  The silver haired teen felt Steven latch onto her hand.  She looked down and smiled at him.

            “Good job Steve-o,”

            The screeching of tires pulled their attention forward as a black SUV stopped only a few feet in front of them.  A burly woman with dreadlocks stepped out.

            “TAKE THEM BISMUTH!” Garnet shouted from behind them as a couple more pops were heard; the sharp scent of gun smoke drifting through the cold, wet air.

            The woman glanced past them and nodded.  “Come with me Amethyst and Steven, I’m going to take you back to your families.”

            Amethyst put her trust in Garnet and this stranger and pulled Steven with her as she ran over to the open door.  Just as they were stepping in a cry of pain came from Garnet.  She whirled around to see her friend grasping her arm.  With the sound of another pop, Garnet’s head jerked and her body crashed limply on the ground.

            “GARNET!” Steven and Amethyst cried out in unison.

The violet eyed teen began to make a move to head back towards the downed woman.

            “Nope.” Bismuth shook her head as she gently pushed her back in the SUV and quickly closed the door.

            “WHAT?!” she exclaimed in objection as the burly woman hopped into the driver’s seat and began to speed away.

            A couple of bullets poked holes through the driver’s side window causing the burly woman to flinch and duck down.  Amethyst tried to open the door and go after Garnet, but it was locked.

            “We have to go back!” Steven sobbed.  “We can’t leave Garnet!”

            Bismuth didn’t respond, she just kept driving.  Amethyst cursed in frustration when she couldn’t unlock the door.  She looked through the back of the SUV to see Garnet’s body being dragged off by five smaller women.  Panic seeped through her veins.

            “How can you leave her?!” she shrieked.  “You two worked together!  Weren’t you buddies or something?”

            Again, no response from the woman with dreadlocks.

            “Answer me!”

            “Bailey made me promise to get you two home safely even if it meant leaving her!” Bismuth blurted out.

            Amethyst’s eyes widened as she saw the tears running down the older woman’s cheeks, just like hers.  She plopped down on the back seat.  Steven hugged her, pressing his wet checks against her shoulder.  Amethyst automatically held him back.

            “You two were the top priority.  They both wanted your safety to come first.  There was no way I’d be able to take on all of them and get you two out of here.  Now buckle up and keep your head down, we’re not out of this yet.”

            At that, the silver haired teen glanced back to see another black SUV gaining on them.  The pops of gunfire soon followed.  Bismuth executed evasive maneuvers.  Steven and Amethyst scrambled to get their seatbelts on.  The impact of bullets against the body of the vehicle could be heard along with the sounds of the bullets sailing through the back window.  Steven latched onto Amethyst, his eyes wide with panic.

            “Where are you Sugilite!  We’re taking fire!  I’ve got the two kids, we need protection!” Bismuth shouted into a radio.

            “Right in front of ya! Hold your course steady and I’ll take ‘em out!”

            A purple Hummer roared into view.  Amethyst watched in awe as Officer Sugilite leaned out of her driver’s side window with a gun in hand as she zoomed past them.  More pops were heard followed by the screeching of tires and a crash.  Amethyst and Steven risked poking their heads up just enough to see what had happened.  The black SUV was rammed against a light post with a flat tire as the purple Hummer did a quick doughnut on the slushy asphalt and sped up to follow closely behind them.

            “You’re a life saver Sugilite!” Bismuth smiled.

            “Yeah baby!  I got yo back!  Now let’s get those kiddies back to their families.  I’ll stay in the rear and take care of anymore in pursuit.”

            “Agreed.  Thank you.”

            “You heard from Garnet or Pearl?”

            Bismuth’s face fell.  “They’re still in.”

            “Oh…”

            “But I’m sure those two can get out, Bailey is no quitter.”

            “Yeah…yeah!  We’ll be seeing those two before too long.”

            “Hey Sugilite, can I have you take Steven and Amethyst back?  I want to stay in case Bailey needs my help.”

            “You sure?  Your car already took a beating.”

“I’m positive, plus the kids know you better than me.”

“Sure thing.  We’ll swap at a gas station in ten minutes or so.”

            “Thanks.”

            Amethyst and Steven exchanged a worried glance.  The silver haired teen gave her buddy an encouraging smile.  They drove in silence for the ten minutes.  At the gas station, they quickly hopped into the purple Hummer and Bismuth’s damaged, black SUV drove off back the way they had come.  Sugilite greeted them with a wide grin and a ruffle of their hair.  When they were buckled in, she tossed back a first aid kit and directed them towards the brown paper bag full of some of their favorite snacks.  Steven only had a couple of scrapes on his legs and hands that were easily bandaged up.  He then helped fix up Amethyst’s deeper cuts in her hands and on her legs.  Some of them would need stitches, but luckily her jacket had protected her arms by taking the brunt of the barbed wire’s attack.  Steven did a great job using the butterfly bandages to pull the cuts closed.  Once they were both patched up, Amethyst ruffled his black hair.

“Thanks little man,” she smiled.

“Thanks for watching out for me big sis,” Steven returned as he shed a few large tears.

            “Nikki to Big Buff Cheeto Puff!” the large woman called over her phone that was synched to the car.

            “What?!” Jasper’s voice rang out.  “You better have some good news!”

            “We got the kiddos, I repeat we got the kiddos.”

            “What?” Jasper’s voice was softer with surprise.  “You, you have The Star and Purple Puma?”

            “Yup, Captain Square and Rainbow Hair got them out.”

            “Thank the stars.  How are they doing?”

            “Pretty good, a bit shaken up.  We’ll be home in a few hours.”

            “Good.  And what about the other two?”

            “We’re working on that.  Rainbow Hair headed back to help out if she can.”

            “I see.  Well good work, I’m glad we got them back.”

            “I am too,” Sugilite finished.

            Amethyst held onto Steven tighter and closed her eyes.  The image of Garnet falling to the ground popped into her mind’s eye.  She stiffened and suppressed a sob.  There was nothing she could do about it now except for hope that Garnet and Pearl were ok and that they would make it back to Beach City.  Exhaustion soon won over her tired mind and she fell asleep.

 

            _Twenty-five minutes…c’mon Garnet!  Where are you?  What’s your status?_

Pearl checked her phone yet again for a message she knew she didn’t miss.  When nothing was there, the pale woman growled and sent a quick message to the dark woman.

            Party Hat- [Are you ok?  Are Steven and Amethyst safe?]

            She huffed and stayed in her spot.

            _Five more minutes, I’ll wait five more minutes._

For what felt like the umpteenth time, Garnet’s body fell to the floor.  Her ragged breathing caused a spray of blood to land on the white-washed concrete.  The world continued to swim back and forth behind her badly cracked sunglasses.  Five pairs of shoes stood a couple of feet away from her.

            “What do you think?” the leader asked the group.  “Think she can last another dice roll?”

            “Yeah!” one eagerly shouted out.  “Roll it!”

            “I don’t know, she looks pretty out of it,” one countered.

            “Roll it!  The traitor deserves it!”

            “Uhhh, I guess?  I don’t really know.  Maybe just one die?”

            “Two dice, that’s the rules,” the leader spoke up.

            The clatter of the plastic cubes against the hard floor made Garnet’s gut sink.  She had already tried to fight through two dice rolls already.  Although, considering how out of it she was when they dragged her into this room, she was holding off pretty well.

            “Three!?” one exclaimed in frustration.

            “That seems like a good number,” the calmer one agreed.

            “Hush!  The dice decided, it’s three more hits apiece.”

            One of the brown women approached her and glared down at Garnet with her one eye, the other one was covered with an eye patch.

            “Get up dirt bag.  You got thirty seconds to get ready to try and defend yourself,” the short, curly haired woman growled.

            Garnet breathed out heavily as she shifted her limbs towards her torso.  Each movement caused waves of pain to wash over her, particularly from her left arm that was covered in blood.  With agonizing effort, the dark woman pushed herself onto her feet and stood up.  The right arm was raised up to defend with while her left arm was lifted up for a moment before it fell to her side, the bullet wound ripping through the side of her upper arm making it too painful to use.  Eyes covered with cracked sunglasses flickered from one opponent to the next.  They were all the same height, the same curly afros, very similar facial features and physical build, but they all had slightly different shades of brown skin.

            _They must be related, they look like sisters…or cousins._

The woman with the eye patch swung first, her small fist striking Garnet painfully in the ribs.  Garnet swung in retaliation, staggering about as if she was drunk.  Another hit from a different attacker.  The dark woman tried to defend, but it was useless, they just hopped out of the way and quickly hit her over and over again.  Before Garnet knew it, she had collapsed face first onto the ground yet again.  She wouldn’t be able to get back up; it was taking all of her effort just to keep her eyes open.

            “Roll it again!  She’s still conscious!”

            “I think she’s had enough, Yellow Diamond doesn’t want us to kill her.”

            The sound of the door opening up and the click of heeled boots against the floor followed by another quieter pair stopped the debate.

            “Zip tie her to the chair,” came the swift order.

            “Yes! Yellow Diamond!”

            Hands grabbed her limp body and hoisted her into the sturdy metal chair.  One by one her limbs were secured to the chair with a number of zip ties, several of them pulled painfully tight.  Inwardly Garnet wished she still had her jacket on to provide some cushion, but that had been pulled off her before they had started beating her.  She sat hunched forward, the only things keeping her from falling even more were the plastic bands holding her arms and legs in place.

            “Wait outside the door, I will call for you when I need you.”

            “Yes, Yellow Diamond,” the five answered in unison.

            Following the sound of the door closing, the soft screech of metal against the floor was heard.  Through her barely open eyes, Garnet could make out Yellow Diamond sitting across from her and the Drug Lord’s personal assistant standing off to the side against the wall to her right.  Garnet weakly jerked when she felt a cold hand cup the side of her face and turn her so she was facing the intimidating woman directly.

            “It’s time we talked,” Yellow Diamond began.  “This time without secrets or fake identities.”

            Cracked sunglasses were carefully removed from her face.  Garnet winced and shut her eyes to shield them from the light in the room.

            “Don’t you think so?  Officer Garnet Bailey.”

            The dark woman’s fuzzy mind was brought to focus by the chilling statement.

            “You-you know?” Garnet stammered as she forced her eyes open to look at the Drug Lord.

            “Of course I knew,” Yellow Diamond lightly smirked.  “Did you honestly think I wouldn’t know exactly who I was letting into my operation?”

            A thumb began to trace over the scar running through Garnet’s eye.  The dark woman tried to pull away but Yellow Diamond’s other hand held her still.

            “You weren’t my first pick for who Pearl might bring along, if she brought anyone.  However, when I looked into your police records, I could understand why you would want to come.  The chance to go after a drug lord must have been irresistible,” Yellow Diamond spoke as she continued to trace Garnet’s scar and half blind eye with her fingers.

            “St-stop! Stop touching me!” Garnet got out as she tried to twist out of the woman’s grasp.

            The Drug Lord’s movements paused for a moment.  “Am I making you uncomfortable?”

            “Yes.  Please stop.”

            The hand moved away from her eye.  Garnet was about to let out a sigh of relief when she felt the thumb of the hand that was holding her head up run across her lower lip.  She feebly jerked away, desperately trying to escape Yellow Diamond’s hold, but the hand held onto her and continued the motion.

            “Despite me knowing who you were, you still did manage to surprise me,” Yellow Diamond continued as if she were discussing the weather.  “Finding Steven and Amethyst and even getting them away from me certainly lived up to your tenacity.”

            Yellow Diamond removed her hand from Garnet’s face and began to slowly run it along her jaw, down her neck, and across her shoulder.  Garnet tried to pull away from the cold hand.

            “Officer Garnet Bailey: A cop who worked in Jersey for nearly ten years, minus some medical leave, who did her best to lock up as many drug dealers as possible,” the Drug Lord said with a mocking tone.  “Do you know why I needed Pearl in the first place?”

            Garnet just looked at the woman, letting the silence speak for her.

            “I had a meth cook, one that would make product I was happy with and could handle the volume I required.  Unfortunately, he was arrested not too long ago, a couple months or so and was sentenced to jail for a few years.  His name?  Travis Hubley.  A member of the Jack Crowbars.”  Yellow Diamond let the last statement hang in the air.

            The dazed woman’s eyes widened in realization.

            “You arrested him.  Remember?”

            She did.  Garnet’s gut sank.

            “He would have only been in your area for a short time.  Yes, he was being stupid by leaving the cheap meth that I would not accept in bags around Beach City, but you could have just caught those and left him alone.  Had he never been arrested, I would have never needed to recruit Pearl.”

            Mismatched eyes stared down at her lap as her mind reeled.

            “You see Garnet, despite your best efforts to protect those around you, you only made it worse.  The mechanic shop never needed to be torched, Steven and Amethyst never needed to be kidnapped, and Pearl never needed to be dragged back to her old life.  But, you just had to be the hero, the good cop who saves the day.”

            Yellow Diamond lifted Garnet’s head back up so she was staring her in the eyes.

            “So, whenever Amethyst and Steven wake up with nightmares or Pearl is stuck in her lab cooking meth for hours on end, they can thank you.”

            Any fight left in the dark woman evaporated in milliseconds.  Yellow Diamond was right.  If she had just not been so obsessed with finding the guy, this could have all been avoided.

            “I’m still impressed though, you don’t look so bad for the beating you’ve taken, including a bullet to the forehead.”  Yellow Diamond sat back and examined the cracked sunglasses.  “These are bulletproof sunglasses, are they not?”

            Garnet didn’t answer she just stared out into the void.

“You could have made a good member of my organization.  Rarely do people win the majority of the initiation tests.  And you did that even with your listed ‘limitations’.”

Yellow Diamond set her hands on the top of Garnet’s lower thighs.  The injured woman tensed up at the intrusive contact.

“Those cops at the Jersey precinct were a bunch of fools, they didn’t appreciate your skill, they were scared of it.”

The hands slowly slid higher, fingers moving around as if they were searching for something.  Garnet tried to not react, but she wanted nothing more than to get away from those icy fingers.

“But I’m not,” the Drug Lord spoke as she leaned in close to Garnet’s face.  “Your skills are to be praised and rewarded, not shunned and wasted.”

Yellow Diamond’s left thumb circled around the sunken spot on Garnet’s right thigh where her scar from the bullet wound was.

“If you worked for me, I would give you the challenging assignments you desire, I would pay you well, you would experience a lot of success.”

Garnet’s lips were pressed into a firm line.  “I’d become the very thing I tried to clean the streets of.  A crook, a dealer, a parasite.”

The pale woman chucked for a moment.  “It would make you no different than a number of your former co-workers.”

“No, but it would make me the opposite of who I am.  I will never work for you!” the dark woman stated with as much strength as she had left.

Yellow Diamond sighed and rolled her eyes.

“I see.”

The thumb that had been tracing Garnet’s bullet wound was dug into the soft spot on the dark woman’s thigh.  Garnet gritted her teeth and tried to jerk her leg away from the agonizing pressure.  Yellow Diamond watched for a few seconds before sitting back and removing her hands.  It took Garnet several moments to get control of her breathing.

            “Well, at least I still have you to use as motivation for Pearl to stay in line,” the Drug Lord shrugged.

            Garnet openly scoffed at that.  A blonde eyebrow was raised in surprise.

            “What makes you think that?” Garnet muttered.

            Yellow Diamond smirked as she held up the officer’s phone.

            “Now I don’t know the password to your phone, yet, but I can still see the past couple of messages from Party Hat on the locked screen.  Was that your code name for Pearl?”

            The dark woman tensed.

            “Let’s see…‘Where are you?  Let me help.’  ‘Are you ok?  Are Steven and Amethyst safe?’” the blonde woman taunted.  “Aside from that, I have plenty of video of the two of you holding each other, sharing the same bed, and such.”

            When Garnet made no comment the Drug Lord continued.

            “I’ve worked with Pearl for quite some time.  She just doesn’t ask anyone to hold her and she most certainly doesn’t cry in front of a random officer from the city she lives in.  Pearl certainly would never allow someone accompany her to a place like this that she didn’t trust.  And for her to trust someone, she has to care for them.  No, you mean something to her, I just haven’t decided what it is yet.  So, whether or not you believe me, I still have a use for you.”

            With that Yellow Diamond stood up and walked towards the door.

            “I will be back to take you to where you will be kept.  We are done here for now,” she spoke to the other woman in the room.  “Make arrangements for Garnet’s new room and have her belongings moved.”

            “Right away Yellow Diamond,” the smaller woman replied; their voices moving away.

            The click of the lock let Garnet know she was finally alone.  One pathetic sob slipped past thick lips, followed by another and another.  Tears slid down her bloodied and bruised face, carving lines of salt water.

            _At least Steven and Amethyst are safe…_

Pearl had waited long enough, she was going to find Garnet and figure out what the hell happened.  She slipped the key to the car back into its hiding place and sneaked out of the underground garage.  A vibration pattern in her pocket informed her of an incoming message.  Pearl quickly hid herself under a set of stairs and pulled it out.  Teeth gritted in frustration when the message was from someone other than Garnet.

            Rainbow Hair- [Captain Square is still at the base, and is in trouble.  Do you know her location?  The Star and Purple Puma are with Nikki.]

            The pale woman let out a huge sigh of relief.  Steven and Amethyst were free.

            _Thank the stars…_

Strawberry blonde eyebrows were pulled together in concern.  Garnet was in trouble, most likely stayed behind to ensure that Steven and Amethyst made it out.  Thin fingers were run through fine hair.

            Party Hat- [Roger that, glad to hear the two are with Nikki.  What can you tell me about Captain Square?  I’m still in the base.]

            Rainbow Hair- [Dragged off.  We met up on the west side.  Her phone tracker looks like she’s moving from the South-East Building to the South Building.]

            Pearl pursed her lips.  Why would Garnet be moved from the South-East to the South when she was captured in the west?

            Party Hat- [How fast is the tracker moving?]

            Rainbow Hair- [Fast walk pace, she’s right by you, or a floor or two above or below you.]

            _Dragged off…_

Party Hat- [What were the size of the people that drug her off?]

            Rainbow Hair- [I didn’t have time to get a good look.  But she’s right by you, it shouldn’t be hard to find her.]

            Pearl frowned.  Something didn’t sit right.  The tracker was moving at a decent speed.  If Garnet was being dragged or carried, the tracker would move a little slower; even if it was a large person or many moving her.  The dark woman wasn’t light.  And then there was the direction the tracker was moving and how long it had been since Garnet had told her to leave.

_It should have just gone from west to south at least fifteen minutes ago, unless…_

Nimble fingers quickly typed out a message and sent it.

Party Hat- [If she was captured, then they would have searched her and taken her phone.  The tracker isn’t on Garnet, it’s probably with a guard or Yellow Diamond.  I’m going to the South-East building to find her.]

The thin woman checked her surroundings before sprinting to the exit of the South building, ignoring the incoming message from Bismuth.  Outside in the freezing night air, things had certainly calmed down.  A few guards were posted in the usual spots and the noise levels disturbingly low.  Pearl walked nonchalantly towards the South-East building, keeping out of the direct sight of any individuals.  Once inside the building she crept towards the hallways full of blank doors.  If her hypothesis was right, Yellow Diamond would have her interrogation rooms next to the shooting range so that any suspicious gun fire would be passed off as someone doing target practice, and any screams of pain would also be obscured by the sound.  Light blue eyes glanced down at the message from Bismuth.

Rainbow Hair- [Are you sure?  There’s little information to support that theory.]

Party Hat- [There’s no information to support that the tracker _is_ on Garnet.  I’m not going to risk running into Yellow Diamond or one of her guards.  You keep an eye on the tracker, and if I’m wrong I’ll go after it.]

Rainbow Hair- [You better be right; Garnet’s life is in your hands.  I’ll keep an eye on the tracker and let you know if it heads in your direction.]

Party Hat- [Thanks.]

Faded and worn flats travelled up and down the three empty hallways, hands trying each door.  Yellowed teeth gritted in frustration as every single one was locked.  Eyes scoured the floor looking for any clues that would indicate which room Garnet was possibly being held in.  In the second hallway, she noticed a light trail of blood partially blending in with the typically immaculate, dark grey painted concrete floor.  Yellow Diamond always kept things clean so this was a potential hint that someone who was hurt was in the area recently.  However, Pearl had no idea if that was even Garnet’s blood, or if the woman was even bleeding in the first place.

_If it isn’t, then, I’ll just have to open every door here._

She followed the path, mapping out seven potential doors that could hold the dark woman.  The stainless steel switchblade was flicked out and wedged between the door and the door frame of the first room.  With some wiggling and a couple of failed attempts, the door was unlocked.  Pearl growled when it opened up to an empty room.  A crude “x” was carved next to the door handle and the pale woman moved onto the next one.  The second door came open in less time than the first, but yielded the same results; as did the third and fourth.  Pearl cursed as she scraped and wiggled her knife to unlock the fifth door.  The longer it took, the less likely Garnet would still be alive by the time she finally found the woman.  Fast hands yanked the door open right as the latch was pushed back.  Pearl quickly sucked in air.  This room was not empty.  Light blue eyes landed on the familiar braided bun resting on the top of the bowed head.  Her feet carried her slowly forward as she took in the horrid sight, the door closing behind her.  Blood splatters were all over a good section of the floor and some of the walls.  Garnet was tied to a rigid metal chair with an absurd amount of zip ties, with her back to the door.  There was one other chair in the room, a foldable metal one that sat across from the slumped woman.  Garnet’s pale blue and while plaid shirt was covered in splotches of wet blood; her left arm completely stained with the crimson substance.  Pearl frowned, someone must have taken Garnet’s jacket.  The thin woman walked so she was in front of the dark woman.  Reflective sunglasses were gone, exposing closed eyes that had dried trails of tears coming from them.  Pearl’s heart clenched at Garnet’s condition.

_What did they do to you?_

A pale hand was raised up to split and bloodied lips.  She could barely feel the shallow breaths the woman was taking.

“Garnet?”  Pearl tried as she began to examine all of the zip ties strapping the dark woman to the chair.

A low moan.

“Garnet, wake up,” she gently nudged her with her hand.

Garnet’s head moved towards her voice.  “Pearl?”

“Yes, it’s me.  Let’s get you out of here,” the pale woman said as she cut through one of the zip ties around Garnet’s left arm.

“Go…get out of here…” the injured woman moaned.

“What?” Pearl looked at the mismatched eyes that were barely open.

She held back a wince when she noticed that Garnet’s pupils were different sizes.

_Looks like a bad concussion._

“Go.  This is your chance to escape.  Leave me, I’ll only slow you down.”

“That is not an option,” the pale woman stated as she took a half step to the side and sliced through a couple more strands of thick plastic.

“Pearl…she wants you.  You need to leave while you still have a chance.  Steven and Amethyst are safe.”

“I am not leaving you!”

Garnet looked up at her through pained, broken eyes.

“You should,” came her dull response.

Pearl pursed her lips and carefully cut through the rest of the zip ties that held the left arm captive.

“Stop being ridiculous, you are coming with me. We are going to get to your car and then hightail it the fuck out of here.”

“Pearl…” Garnet grumbled.  “Yellow Diamond is coming back for me.  If I’m gone she’ll know it was you.  You have to go now.”

“No!  I am not leaving you!” the thin woman firmly stated as she looked Garnet in the eyes.

The dark woman breathed out heavily and then let her head fall forward.  Pearl quickly blinked back the tears prickling at the edges of her eyes.

“I am not making that same mistake twice, Garnet.  I am not going to leave you here to die!”

She breathed out quickly and crouched down to cut loose the bands around the right arm.

“You’re making a mistake.  Yellow Diamond knew from the start who I was.  She’s only keeping me alive to use me against you.”

“Then we will either get out of this together, or we’ll be stuck in this hell together,” Pearl decided.  “I am not going to let her win by leaving you here to die.”

“She wins if you don’t escape, Pearl.  You have to go,” Garnet’s tired voice countered.

The thin woman didn’t respond, she just kept slicing through the zip ties.  In moments, the right arm was free, quickly followed by the right leg.  Or so she thought, there was a zip tie running through the loop on the back of Garnet’s boot and wrapped around the lower brace on the chair.

_Just who put all of these here?!_

“Pearl…”

Pearl stood up and faced Garnet again.

“You don’t deserve this,” she stated.  “You don’t deserve any of this,” she motioned to the numerous bruises and blood splatters on the dark woman.

“It’s all my fault,” came the low whisper.

“What?”

“It’s all my fault.  If I hadn’t caught that one meth cook, Yellow Diamond would have never needed you,” a soft sob escaped Garnet’s thick lips.  “Steven and Amethyst never needed to be kidnapped, the mechanic shop never needed to be torched.  It’s all my fault, if I’d just left him alone, none of this would have happened.”

Pearl blinked, genuinely surprised.  She sat down in the chair and gently raised the woman’s bowed head.

“Garnet.  You didn’t set the mechanic shop on fire.  Yellow Diamond did.”

Mismatched eyes refused to look at her.  Pearl moved so she was in Garnet’s line of sight.

“You didn’t kidnap Steven and Amethyst.  Yellow Diamond did.”

Garnet finally held her gaze.

“You didn’t extort me into making meth.  Yellow Diamond did.  All you did Garnet was perform your job to the best of your ability and when Amethyst and Steven were kidnapped, you came forward with a plan and went undercover in this place alongside me.  You got them out of here!  I’d be a dammed fool if I left without you.”

Several moments of silence passed between them.  The dark woman looked away and sighed.

“Now, I’m going to finish cutting you loose, and then we’re getting out of here,” Pearl finalized as she kneeled down and got to work on Garnet’s left leg.

“I’m not going to be able to stand,” Garnet informed.

“Then I’ll carry you,” came her quick rebuttal.

“I’m a lot heavier than you are.”

“I don’t care!  If I have to drag you all the way to Beach City by myself, then I will!  Yellow Diamond will not have you!”

With that statement, the final zip tie was cut.  Or so Pearl thought, there was still one running through Garnet’s beltloop.  She did a quick double check for any others and found none.  Satisfied that Garnet was free, she sent a quick message to Bismuth.

Party Hat- [Found Captain Square, alive, not well.  Get close to my location ASAP, I will try to get outside and either to a gate or Captain Square’s car.]

She didn’t wait for a response, they needed to get moving.

“Can you try to stand?” she gently asked.

Garnet gritted her teeth and pushed against the chair and attempted to stand.  Pearl could see that the injured woman was going to fall down before she got to her feet, so the pale woman moved right next to her, wrapping one arm around Garnet’s waist and taking ahold of her belt.

“Ah!” the dark woman suddenly cried out.  “Don’t touch me there!”

“You were going to fall down!  Where can I hold you so I can help you while you walk?”

“Nowhere, everything hurts,” came her pained response through gritted teeth.

Pearl sighed heavily.

“Well then is there a spot that doesn’t hurt as much?”

Garnet shook her head.

The thin woman sighed again.

“Just put your arm around me and support yourself as much as you can while we walk.  You’re going to have to deal with the pain until we get out of here,” Pearl firmly stated as she began to walk forward.

Garnet made no response, but thick legs moved along with hers and they slowly made their way to the door.  Pearl opened the door, checked her surroundings, and stepped out into the hallway.  They were on their way.  They just needed to get to Bismuth or Garnet’s car before anyone came after them.

_We can do this._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Amethyst are free!! Yay!! Now, the question is, will Pearl and Garnet make it out or will they be stuck in this hell together?
> 
> Also I drew an MS Paint picture for this chapter! Not much, but can be seen here! (https://thetruthampere.tumblr.com/image/160862528543)


	28. Dead End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note, just because the title says End, does not mean this is the end. That being said, hold onto your seats this one is another wild ride!

^^^^^^

Pearl attempts to escape with Garnet, but runs into trouble.

^^^^^^

 

            Amber eyes narrowed as they watched the various trackers move around on the screen of her laptop.  Jasper watched as Sugilite’s continued its direct route back towards Beach City.  It was a big relief to have the two kids in safe hands, now they just needed to see what they could do about Officer Bailey and Pearl Meyers.  Bismuth had gone quiet after leaving Sugilite, only sending in one message to the muscular woman that she was going to head back and try to get the two adults out.  Sandy hair compressed against the fabric seat as Jasper leaned back.  Her mind quickly worked as she thought of a way the two of them might be able to break into Yellow Diamond’s base and get Garnet and Pearl out.  Since they had received the report about Pearl being able to visit with Steven and Amethyst, Jasper had moved out secretly and posted herself nearby the Drug Lord’s base.  She didn’t inform Bismuth or Sugilite in case their communication line had been hacked, but it was time to let the Jersey cop know she had backup.  The broad hand grabbed the radio and turned to Bismuth’s frequency.  They were close enough for the radios to reach.

            “Officer Bismuth do you copy?  Officer Bismuth do you copy?”

            Jasper waited patiently for the response.

            “This is Officer Bismuth,” came the rushed response.

            “Take a right at the next intersection and head towards the parking lot of the dollar store on the left side of the street.”

            “No can do, I need to get back to the base, Bailey is still in there,” the woman refused.

            “I know, and we will have better success if we work together, now take a right,” Jasper ordered as her amber eyes watched Bismuth’s tracker move closer and closer to the intersection.

            “How can you help me from Beach City?!”

            “Trust me.”

            “Fine!”

            Captain Green smiled, put down the radio, and casually stepped out of her undercover police SUV.  Down the street she could see Bismuth’s personally owned, black SUV making its way towards the dollar store parking lot where she was located.  A frown etched itself onto the muscular woman’s mouth as she noticed the bullet holes in the side and back of the vehicle.  She watched as Bismuth parked the SUV, jumped out and briskly walked over through the steady soft snowfall.

            “And when were you going to inform us that you were up here?!” the woman with dreadlocks yelled.

            “I wasn’t sure if our communication line was secure, so I waited until now.  Besides, you’ve been doing great so far.  We have Steven and Amethyst, so now we can bring out the big guns.”

            Bismuth grumbled and folded her arms across her chest.  “Having you there from the beginning could have made a difference you know, but I’m not going hold that over you if we’re able to get Bailey back.”

            “What about Pearl?  Do you care to get her too?” Jasper casually inquired as she motioned for the stocky woman to follow her to the back of the SUV.

            “I won’t be upset if we don’t get her.  Bailey is the one who should be rescued.”

            The sandy haired woman popped open the hatch.  Bismuth stood right next to her and peered in.  Grey eyes widened when they saw the assortment of dangerous items.  Tear gas grenades, gas masks, grenades, mace, a sniper rifle, several semi-automatic rifles, long knives, handguns, smoke bombs, blow darts, bolt cutters, binoculars, repelling gear, and more.

            “I brought some extra gear as well as some stuff from the station.  My thought is to try and sneak in using the cover of a neighboring building.  We can park our vehicles nearby and move in on foot, or one can stay in my SUV while the other goes in.”

            “You know I want to go in with you to rescue Bailey.  We’ll be stronger if we stay together.”

            “And a car is much faster than someone running.  My plan is to cut a part of the fence down or to open a gate so you can drive in once I have either one or both of them.  Getting out is the important part.”

            Bismuth frowned and looked off to the side at the vast array of weapons.

            “With Bailey hurt, there’s a chance someone will have to carry her and that would leave us defenseless while trying to escape Yellow Diamond.  It will be better if both of us go and we just park as close as we can without raising suspicion.”

            Jasper rested her thumb and pointer finger on her chin.  “I didn’t know Garnet was injured.  Do we know generally what condition she is in?”

            “Pearl just said Bailey was ‘alive, not well’.”

            “I see.  Then we’ll proceed with your version, we’ll go in together, cut a path for an easy escape, find the two, and get the hell out of here.”

            The woman with dreadlocks nodded.

            “Now, time to suit up,” Captain Green smirked as she gestured to the small armory in the back of her SUV.

            “Now you’re talking Bismuth!” the dark woman halfway smiled.

 

            Black leather and bloodstained plaid fell against the cold and wet exterior walls of the South-East building.  Pearl panted heavily, sweating profusely as they sat there; their jeans soaking up the thin layer of ice water on the concrete.  Light blue eyes closed for a moment after scanning the area around their temporary hiding place.  The urge to cough was building in her chest after all the physical exertion of practically carrying Garnet for the past three hundred yards or so.  Pearl looked to the side to check on her partner.  Garnet was breathing weakly, her eyes were barely open, and her body sat limp against the wall and concrete ground.  The walk had taxed the injured woman of her remaining strength.  Several 55-gallon metal drums were their cover from any passing eyes on their right side, but their front and left sides were exposed.  However, they were in the shadows and their left side was towards the chain-link fence that surrounded Yellow Diamond’s base.  It was the best cover she could find under the desperate circumstances.  The pale woman pulled out her phone and checked for any messages she missed.  She frowned at the one she did have.

            Rainbow Hair- [Coming, get close to the fence or even over it if you can.]

            That was over ten minutes ago.  Pearl quickly wiped off the few snowflakes that had fallen onto her phone’s screen.

            Party Hat- [Outside on the south end of the South-East building, can’t climb fence, have cover but not much.  Hurry!]

            Pearl reached over and gently rubbed Garnet’s right shoulder; she didn’t want to touch the injured one.

            “Stay with me, we just need to wait for Bismuth to come get us here,” she whispered.

            The injured woman made no response.  Strawberry blonde hair rested against the wall, the thin woman trying to get her body to relax a little so she could recover quickly.  Her left hand grabbed her gun and held it.  If they were seen, she needed to be prepared.  The minutes continued to tick by without any response from Bismuth, Pearl’s hands twitched as her heart beat loudly in her chest.  Yellow Diamond was coming back for Garnet and as soon as she saw that the woman was missing, she would be on the hunt for them.  The pale woman pulled out her phone and called Bismuth, she needed to get through and let the officer know that they needed to get out as soon as possible.  Yellowed teeth gritted in frustration when the call was sent to voicemail after only two rings.  The useless device was put away in her pocket.  Pearl glanced towards the chain link fence.  She had rested enough that she could move them closer to the fence and wait on the side of the building that ran with the fence.  However, there was no promise of cover there.  The pale woman turned to whisper her plan to Garnet when she heard voices come from the door they had exited only several minutes prior.

            “Search the surrounding areas!  She wasn’t in the building!  There’s no way she could have gone far with those injuries,” one gruff voice shouted.

            “Keep an eye out for any suspicious persons too!  There had to be an accomplice!” another added.

            _Shit…_

One short, curly haired woman walked in the line of their vision and headed for the South building.  Another two with similar hair and body structures followed, each stopping briefly before turning and walking in opposite directions.  A fourth walked a few yards in front of them and paused, hand rubbing her chin.  The hollow thud of the 55-gallon drums made Pearl turn her head and look up.  A fifth short, curly haired woman stood on top of the steel drums staring down at them.

            “I FOUND THEM! THEY’RE-!”

            Thin fingers did not hesitate to send two shots haphazardly at the woman.

            “ARGH!” the woman jumped down from the barrels clutching her left arm.

            A gun pop quickly filled the air, one bullet whizzed by Pearl’s head.  She turned to fire in the direction of attack.  Two more pops and whiffs of gun smoke came from the curly haired woman standing directly in front of them.  Pearl cried out in agony as one piece of hot metal scraped across the left side of her ribcage and another tore deeper through her side just below the ribcage.  The shock caused her to drop her gun and instantly press her right hand against the bleeding and slightly cauterized wounds.

            “Don’t kill them,” came the dreaded, familiar sixth voice.

            Pearl looked up through the tears of pain in her eyes to see the five short, curly haired women gather around them, led by none other than Yellow Diamond.  Ms. Pearl walked out into view taking her usual place behind and slightly off to the side of the Drug Lord, a smirk evident on her round lips.

            “Pearl, Pearl, Pearl,” the Drug Lord shook her head.  “You just had to make things more difficult didn’t you?”

            The pale woman struggled to her feet through the pain she was in and stood with a slight hunch defensively between Garnet and the women.

            “Separate and search them!” came the swift order.

            Pearl pushed the debilitating pain from her mind as adrenaline coursed through her veins.  She quickly grabbed for her gun and pointed it at the closest of the five.  Her left side burned from the movement and pressure of holding the arm and gun up.  A bloodstained right hand gripped onto the gun as well, trying to keep it steady.  Bile bubbled up to the back of her tongue nearly causing her to vomit.

            “Stay back!” she desperately shouted.

            “Don’t be a fool Pearl,” Yellow Diamond warned as she pulled out her own gun.  “Do you really want to do that?  You’ll miss, we’ll take it from you, and things will only get more difficult for you and your friend if you continue this uncooperative behavior.”

            The pale woman’s gut clenched.

            “In a way I am grateful that I no longer have Steven and Amethyst to use as leverage against you.  They were only teenagers and that barred me from hurting them, after all I do have some standards.  However, with you and Officer Bailey I have no such reservations on what privileges I can take away and what punishments to administer if you don’t fall in line.” The last five words were spoken with increased firmness.

            Light blue eyes didn’t dare to look away from the five women slowly closing in on her.  Dirty, faded light blue flats shuffled slightly backwards in an attempt to keep some distance between her and Yellow Diamond’s goons.  The Drug Lord aimed her gun and Pearl could tell it wouldn’t hit her, but the barely breathing Garnet behind her.

            “You hurt her anymore and she’ll die!”

            “Well then, if you do care about her and don’t want her to get hurt any further, then you should put your gun down and cooperate.  However, if you don’t care for the woman then I’ll just kill her now,” Yellow Diamond stated as she pulled out her yellow die with her other hand.

            Pearl’s throat became dry.  Her hands trembled slightly.  She had to give up, otherwise Garnet would die.  Slowly the pale woman raised her bloodied hands, crouched down, set her gun on the slush covered concrete, and stood up with her head bowed and hands up in surrender.  The fast splashing of feet against wet concrete preceded the hands that grabbed her, pulled her slightly off balance, searched her, took anything that was in her pockets, and roughly pulled her arms behind her back.  Pearl whimpered in pain from her torso moving and aggravating the fresh wounds.  Hopeless light blue eyes looked up to see Garnet pulled to her feet and supported by two of the small women.  The thin layer of snow that had collected on the injured woman’s hair and clothes fell off partially from the movement.

            _I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…_

“Follow me,” came Yellow Diamond’s next command as she turned and walked towards the South building.

            The pale woman was marched forward by the two holding onto her followed by Garnet and the two assisting the dark woman’s steps.  It didn’t take long before they were in the South building and walking up one of the staircases.  Pearl glanced back as they started on the next flight of steps.  Garnet had fallen behind as the two small women had to practically carry her up the stairs.  The thin woman’s attention was redirected as she was shoved upward and onward.  Ice cold water trickled down the back of her neck as the snow on her melted in the warmer temperature.  Finally, Yellow Diamond stepped out of the stairwell at the fourth floor and walked down the hallway.  Using a brass key supplied by Ms. Pearl, the fifth door on the left was opened.  Pearl was escorted in along with Garnet.  The two women supporting Garnet unceremoniously dropped her, letting her collapse onto the thinly carpeted floor.  Thankfully the dark woman was conscious enough to somewhat catch herself.

            “Hey!” Pearl snapped.  “Would it hurt to be the tiniest bit considerate to her current condition?”

            The brown woman with the eye patch glared at her.  “Amaranth was having a little trouble with her arm,” she gruffly spoke as she pointed to her sister’s bleeding arm.

            Pearl shut her mouth when she realized that was the woman she had shot earlier.  Light blue eyes turned in favor of looking around the room.  There was practically nothing in the 10-foot by 10-foot room aside from a single twin size mattress sitting on the floor outfitted with sheets, blankets, and pillows.

            “Is this our room now?” the thin woman directed to Yellow Diamond.

            “No, this is Garnet’s room now,” the Drug Lord stepped towards the injured woman lying face up on the ground.

            Pearl’s eyes caught sight of the small pile of Garnet’s clothes and blankets that had been left in their room when she had taken their backpacks to the dark woman’s car.  Light blue eyes narrowed when they spotted the missing hoodie also sitting in the pile.

            “I did notice that not all of Garnet’s things were in the room when I sent for them.  Do you know where they are by chance?” Yellow Diamond inquired.

            The pale woman looked at the floor, swallowing the bitter taste in her mouth.  “They are in her car, along with my backpack.”

            “And would there be any spare keys to her car that I should be made aware of?”

            Pearl breathed out in frustration and didn’t answer right away.

            “I said, are there any other pairs of keys I should know about?”

            “There’s a spare in the underside of the car on the driver’s side.”

            “That wasn’t so hard, now was it?” Yellow Diamond smirked.  “Amaranth and Vermilion, go retrieve Officer Bailey’s remaining personal belongings.  I want the spare key, her ammo, and anything that could be used as a weapon or a tool for escape.”

            “Yes, Yellow Diamond!” the woman with the eye patch and the woman with the injured arm quickly saluted.

            After the two left, the Drug Lord turned to Pearl, her yellow eyes boring down on her.

            “Garnet will be kept here under surveillance 24/7.  Initially, you will be allowed to see her once you complete each month’s batch of meth.  With good behavior and productivity, I may increase the amount of times you can visit her along with other potential rewards.  All visits will be monitored.  Any misbehavior or decline in productivity and/or quality and you both will suffer.  If I even catch wind of you planning to escape or sabotaging anything, and you both will suffer.  Have I made myself clear?” the terrifying woman’s voice cut through the air.

            “Yes,” Pearl lowly replied.

            “Yes, what?”

            “Yes, Yellow Diamond,” she bitterly spoke.

            “Good,” the Drug Lord spoke with a smirk as she stood tall with her head high.  “Now, before I send you to your lab, we need to settle the payment for your misbehavior tonight,” Yellow Diamond evenly spoke as she pulled out two dice.  One was the familiar yellow die with black diamond symbols on it, while the other was the inverse; a black die with yellow diamond symbols on it.

            “What?!  You can’t!  Any more and Garnet will die!”

            A tsk came from the Drug Lord’s mouth.  “When I roll these dice together, it’s just for their numbers, not to execute or torture.  Tonight, I am rolling them twice.  The two resulting numbers will be multiplied together and that will be how many kilograms of meth you have to make before you can see her again.  However,” she added darkly, “Future punishments and loss of privileges can and will be decided on by this die,” Yellow Diamond held up the black die between her thumb and pointer finger.  “And if you push me far enough I will roll this one for Garnet.”

            The yellow die traded positions with the black die.

            “But, it doesn’t need to be like that,” the Drug Lord continued in a softer tone.  “If you both follow my rules, the two of you will be able to see each other regularly, live healthy lives, and even enjoy all the perks of being a part of my organization.  I just need to be able to trust both of you.  I need your commitment and loyalty.  For as much as I am swift to punish, I am just as eager to reward.”

            Pearl was sick to her stomach; despite the assurance of rewards for cooperation, the deal was rotten inside and out.  She stood there waiting for the tall woman to roll the dice.  The large hand rotated, dropping the two cubes to the ground where they bounced around and settled on two numbers.  Three yellow diamonds and six black diamonds were displayed on the dice.

            “Nine,” Yellow Diamond stated as Ms. Pearl gathered the dice and handed them back to her.

            Soft clicks echoed through the room as the cubes tumbled around in the imposing woman’s hand before they fell towards the thinly carpeted floor.  The yellow die settled first, displaying a five.  Pearl held her breath as her weary eyes watched the black die roll onto a two.

            “Seven,” came the announcement.  “So.  Once you have made sixty-three kilograms of meth, you will be allowed one visit to Garnet.”  She turned to the two women holding Pearl.  “Take Pearl to her lab and lock her in there.”

            “What?!”

            “Since you obviously aren’t tired, it would be more productive if you worked on making some more meth.  Besides, the sooner you finish the 63 kilograms, the sooner you can see Garnet again.”

            The pale woman opened her mouth and began to motion to her bleeding side.

            “Don’t worry I’ll have medical personnel visit you to take care of your wounds,” Yellow Diamond waved off before Pearl could speak.

            “What about Garnet’s injuries?  You can’t just leave her here like this?!”

            “I will have her taken care of as well,” Yellow Diamond sharply retorted.  “To what extent is none of your business, what you need to worry about is getting on my good side and remaining there so nothing else needs to happen to you or your friend!  Have I made myself clear?!”

            The pale woman bowed her head, yellowed teeth grinding with frustration.  Light blue eyes drifted over to the woman lying on the floor, the dark woman’s chest rising and falling ever so slightly.

            “Why did you have Garnet beaten?” she dared to ask.

            “That was for her actions tonight, no doubt I will be ensuring that she also cooperates and will be rewarded or punished according to her behavior.”

            “What are you going to do with her?”

            “Like I said, that is not your concern, but you would be correct to assume that I would make use of her around here.  She, like you, is more valuable to me alive than dead.  Understand?”

            “Yes, Yellow Diamond.”

            “That will be all,” she waved away.

            Pearl was dragged out of the room by two of the sisters.  She glanced over her shoulder at Garnet’s prone figure before the door was closed behind her.

            _I’m sorry Garnet, I’m so sorry.  Please hang in there._

            Jasper breathed out evenly as she watched three figures exit the South building through the scope of her rifle and the steady snowfall.

            “Pearl’s tracker is moving right with those; does it look like she is one of them?” Bismuth quietly spoke from the side as she examined the portable device that displayed the altitude and relative locations of the two chips in Garnet and Pearl’s phones.

            “Yup, in the middle, looks like they’re keeping a tight grip on her.”

            “Garnet’s tracker has lowered in altitude by about twenty feet, making it most likely on the second floor of the South building now.”

            The sandy haired woman slowly nodded.  They had arrived at the fence by the South-East building just as Pearl, Garnet, and their captors disappeared into the South building.  Once the coast was clear, Jasper had cut through a portion of the chain-link fence with her tin snips.  Three zip ties were used to pull it partially back into place so no one passing by would notice the deformity in the fence.

            “So, both trackers went up in altitude to approximately the fourth floor, Pearl’s came down and has moved north, and now Garnet’s is probably on the second floor.  What do you think Bismuth?”

            “Bailey is still in the South building, most likely on the fourth floor.”

            “Agreed.  We know from Garnet and Pearl’s reports that the South building is guarded at each level from the second on up.  Anyone would have to make it through three levels of basic security to reach the hostage.  Has Pearl’s tracker stopped?” Jasper inquired.

            “Not yet, but it is nearing the North building, from what I remember in their reports, that’s where her lab is.”

            The sandy haired woman hummed.

            “Garnet is the closest and in the highest critical condition.  We should get her first, Yellow Diamond will hesitate to hurt Pearl because she needs her, but Garnet, in her eyes, is disposable.”

            Beside Jasper, Bismuth gritted her teeth and exhaled sharply.  The two waited a couple more minutes before sneaking out from behind the South-East building and running to the entrance of the South building that Garnet and Pearl had been taken through.  Jasper checked the stairwell and silently motioned for Bismuth to follow.  At the first landing, the muscular woman crouched low to the ground and peered around the corner at the second segment of stairs leading to the second floor and the two bodyguards standing up there.  Large hands grabbed the 3-foot long blow dart gun holstered on her side, loaded a dart, and held two more darts between fingers.  Jasper aimed at the one guard she could see and let a powerful burst of air propel the sedative tranquilizer dart right into the man’s thigh.  Without waiting she dashed to the side, loading the second dart and sending it into the neck of the second guard.  The two fell to the ground without much more than a gurgle, the potent chemicals sending them soundly to sleep.  Jasper and Bismuth checked both sides of the second floor hallway before heading up the next flight of stairs.  So far so good.  Blood rushed through the muscular woman’s veins as she approached the second pair of guards, aimed, and fired.  Bismuth sprinted up the stairs to catch the one guard that was about to fall down the stairs.  Jasper sent a grateful nod her way.  Stealth was key.  The third floor was checked and the two climbed up the third flight of steps.  A silencer was twisted onto the end of Jasper’s handgun before she pulled out her blow dart gun again.  She took a deep breath, loaded the next dart, aimed, and hit her target.

            “Hey Larry! What’s- WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!”

            The second dart was a moment too late; the other guard was able to get out his exclamation before he passed out.

            _Shit…_

Bismuth charged up the stairs, glanced around the corner and immediately pulled away as gun shots were fired.

            “Fifth door on the left, two guards, that has to be it.  We haven’t seen any others,” the woman with dreadlocks quickly informed.

            Jasper pulled her rifle to her front from where she had been carrying it on her back and stowed away her dart gun.

            “I’m charging in, keep the rear clear.”

            The stocky woman nodded.  Without wasting another second, Jasper dashed out of the stairwell, identified the two guards who were now heading their direction, and jumped to the side as the first set of bullets were fired.  It took five of her bullets and three of theirs slamming against her bulletproof vest to knock down both guards.  Jasper gasped for air as one had hit her in the sternum.  Two steady breaths later she was right behind Bismuth running for the fifth door on the left.  There was no time to check on if the two guards were completely incapacitated, so she stuck a dart in both of them.  If anything they would be asleep for the next couple of hours.  The woman with dreadlocks kicked open the door with enough force to twist and deform the metal door frame that had tried to keep the metal door shut.

            “Freeze!”

            Jasper jumped into the room right after Bismuth and posted herself by the door.  Their cover had been blown and it would only be a matter of seconds before they were trapped in the building.  Amber eyes glanced back to see Bismuth motioning for the person next to Garnet to step away and retreat to the corner of the room.  Officer Bailey was wearing a bloodied pair of jeans and white tank top with her boots.  A plaid shirt laid off to the side of where the medic had been standing.  Garnet was lying face up on the carpeted floor with her eyes closed and her body not moving a visible inch.

            “I’m just a medic!” the person called as they backed away from Garnet.  “I didn’t hurt her or nothing!”

            “Shut your mouth!” Bismuth ordered.

            Jasper flicked a dart at the medic, hitting them in the arm.  “Grab Bailey, we needed to get out of here five minutes ago,” Jasper grumbled as the medic fell onto the bed face first.

            “SECURE THE HALLWAY!  DON’T LET ANYONE BY!”

            “Shit,” the sandy haired woman grumbled.  “Change of plans.  Get your mask on and put one of the extras on Bailey.  Time to make some big baddies cry,” she grinned as she casually tossed a tear gas grenade in her hand.

            “Bailey, it’s me, Bismuth.  I’m going to put this on you.  Can you walk?”

            A low groan was the injured woman’s response.  Jasper heard Bismuth’s heavy sigh.

            “She’s in bad shape, I’m going to have to carry her,” came Bismuth’s voice muffled by her gas mask as she grabbed the thick, soiled hoodie nearby and put it on Garnet along with the gas mask.

            “Get ready - they’re coming from both sides. We’re going to gas both sides and run like the wind.  Hope you don’t mind a little burning sensation on your skin.”

            Jasper glanced around the edge of the door frame, several bullets whizzed in her direction.  With expert aim, two grenades sailed through the air exploding with a fine mist.  Cries of agony were soon heard mixed in with a couple of goons vomiting.  The captain motioned for Bismuth to follow as she sprinted into the hallway and towards the stairwell they had come up.  Several gang members tried to blindly shoot or swing at them, but they were easily kicked down or avoided.  Teeth gritted behind the gas mask as the tear gas stung her exposed skin.  Jasper took the stairs two at a time, her steel toed boots thundering down the carpet covered concrete.  She swung around the landing only to come face-to-face with yet another goon.  The sandy haired woman didn’t reduce her momentum for a second and just slammed her mask covered forehead against theirs with a sickening crack.  They stumbled back in surprise and pain.  One hard punch to the jaw and they were rolling down the stairway unconscious.  Jasper pulled a pin on a smoke bomb and threw it into the hallway of the third floor, hoping that it would obscure whoever might be waiting for them.  Feet pounded down the next flight of stairs, not stopping to register the bullets that grazed her thigh or sunk into the bulletproof vest.  In seconds, they were on the first floor of the South building.  Jasper glanced behind her to see that Bismuth was right on her tail.  The first floor was surprisingly void of any gang members.  Either word hadn’t spread fast enough or they had already passed most of them.  She wasn’t going to wait.  Jasper headed for the exit she had seen Pearl be taken out of earlier.  Amber eyes scanned the courtyard.  Two goons were heading towards the South building, the chaos from inside drawing their attention.

            Fingers pulled out two more darts.  The blowgun was loaded, her gas mask pushed onto the top of her head, and two darts soon found their targets.  The two gang members collapsed onto the wet concrete in the middle of the court.  It was sure to call attention, but only if someone looked out.  Hopefully, they had a few more seconds before that happened.  Jasper motioned for Bismuth to follow her along the north side of the South building.  They moved quickly, reaching the Central building in a minute.  Sounds of pursuit were erupting from the South building.  Bismuth pulled her in between two large, metal dumpsters on the west side of the Central building.

            “What’s the plan now?  I thought we were going to head for the SUV!” came Bismuth’s hushed demand.

            Jasper breathed out, trying to calm herself from the mad dash.

            “Pearl.  Give me the tracker.  I’m going to get her, you stay hidden here.”

            “No way. We’re sitting ducks waiting here, we move together,” Bismuth growled through her gas mask as she handed the tracker over.

            “Fine, then I’ll carry Bailey, that way you don’t tire out.”

            “Ok.”

            Jasper handed Bismuth the tracker and then Bailey was set on Jasper’s back.

            “SEARCH EVERYWHERE!  CUT OFF THE PERIMETER!”

            With a silent nod signaling that the two were ready, Jasper and Bismuth began running north.  Thankfully, the West building’s east side wasn’t well lit.  There were plenty of spots to hide in as they ran as quickly as possible towards the red dot indicating Pearl’s location.  With another stroke of good fortune, the trio made it to the North building and slipped into the doors.  It only took a couple of seconds to find a staircase that took them into the basement.  Jasper glanced down and saw a series of doors.  Bismuth was already running towards the second one on the right.  The muscular woman scanned the area as the stocky woman bent down and began picking at the lock since kicking down the reinforced door wasn’t going to work.

 

            Light blue eyes blinked slowly as she focused on grinding up the pills so she could extract the methamphetamine from them.  Another wave of nausea passed over her.  She glanced at her bloodied side and swallowed thickly.  The bleeding had only slowed after she had duct taped several layers of paper towels against her side.  Now the crimson pieces of paper just reminded her how badly she probably needed medical attention.  Hands regripped the pestle as she pushed down again, crushing more pills.  Her stomach lurched.  Pearl blinked quickly and forced down the urge to throw up.  Another lurch.  The pale woman dashed over to the nearby trashcan and retched violently in it.  Tears were forced from her eyes as her body disposed of anything that had been in her stomach.  Her injured side wailed in agony from the involuntary movements.  She gasped for air, falling to her knees and grasping her wounds.

            “FUCK!” she cried out.  “Fucking shit!”

            The two sisters that had escorted her to her lab said nothing, they just continued to stand on either side of the door.  Pearl’s body trembled as she struggled to stand, using the trashcan for support.  She wasn’t as durable as Garnet was when it came to handling injuries.  With a few even breaths she was able to steady herself and walk back over to the table where all of the supplies were.  Suddenly the door slammed open, one of the short women cried out in pain as she was smashed between the door and the wall.  Pearl whirled around just in time to see Bismuth knock out the other with one fast punch.  The pale woman couldn’t be more excited to see Garnet’s former partner than she was now.

            “Let’s go!  We got Yellow Diamond’s goons right on our asses!” Bismuth shouted as she made sure the woman between the door and the wall was knocked out.

            Pearl quickly nodded as she swallowed, forcing down her pain.  She took one step forward before turning around and heading for her metal briefcase.

            “What are you doing?  We need to get out of here!”

            “You’ll thank me soon,” Pearl said as she quickly opened the case and pulled out a series of thin glass vials held in the loops of a makeshift duct tape belt.

            She secured it around her waist with a strip of duct tape and walked towards the door.

            “C’mon!”

            “Moving as fast as I can,” Pearl grumbled as she opened up the side of her jacket to reveal her injuries.

            Bismuth pursed her lips and nodded.  “We got her let’s go!” she called out.

            “About time!” Jasper growled.

            The pale woman looked up to see Jasper carrying a seemingly unconscious, gas mask wearing Garnet on her back.

            “Thank the stars you have her, otherwise I would not be able to escape,” Pearl stated with relief.

            “What do you mean by that?” Bismuth questioned as they headed for the stairs.

            “With Steven and Amethyst gone, Yellow Diamond decided to use Garnet as leverage over me, so if we don’t make it out of this, she’s going to be the one suffering.”

            “We’re getting out of here no matter what,” Jasper stated.

            The muscular woman started up the first few steps when Amaranth and Vermillion appeared on the stairs, running down towards them.

            “INTRU-” Vermillion started, but was cut off as Jasper threw her head forward, crashing their foreheads together and rendering the smaller woman unconscious.

            Amaranth pulled out her gun and fired two shots down, hitting Jasper in the chest of her bulletproof vest, before Bismuth’s bullets hit her gun wielding arm; causing her to drop it.  Jasper finished the curly haired woman off with a stab of a dart as the trio sprinted up the stairs.

            “There’s one more of the sisters, keep your eyes out!” Pearl called out to them.

            Too late, the fifth figure dropped from above tackling Bismuth to the ground; the flash of steel in the light of the hallway proceeded Bismuth’s stifled cry of pain.  Pearl grabbed the smaller woman by the back of her shirt and threw her off Bismuth, the motion causing waves of nausea to roll up her esophagus and setting her vision spinning.  The woman with dreadlocks quickly followed the thrown attacker and was able to knock her out with two powerful punches.  As Pearl tried to steady herself, Bismuth grabbed her arm and pulled her along with the direction they were running.  The pale woman barely could keep her feet.  A wall of freezing air hit her body.  Through her hazed vision, she could see them running along the sides of the North building staying in the cover of the shadows to hide from the searching eyes of the dozens of gang members in the courtyard.  It would only be a couple of seconds before they were seen and bullets started sailing their way.  Her open hand grabbed a vial from her belt.

            “I SEE THEM!  STOP OR YOU’RE DEAD!!” came the threat.

            Pearl threw her vial at the same time Jasper threw a can of something towards the loosely gathered gangsters.  A fine mist sprang up from Jasper’s can, causing several of the goons to drop and cry out as they covered their faces.  The pale woman didn’t hear the sound of the glass vial shattering, but the powerful, yet small, explosion that followed an instant later stunned several who were nearby and even threw a couple off their feet.

            “What the fuck!” Bismuth whirled back on her.  “What the hell was that?!”

            “Makeshift bomb!  Keep running!” Pearl shouted back as she grabbed another vial.

            The pop-pop-pop of bullets flying in their direction as they ran along the side of the West building spurred their tired legs forward.  There was no time to stop.  Several whizzed by uncomfortably close.  Bismuth staggered sideways for an instant as one found its mark on her thankfully protected side.  Pearl chucked her next vial at the approaching gang members.  The closer explosion caused her ears to ring.  As they approached the courtyard between the Central and South building, Jasper jumped behind a metal dumpster on the west side of the Central building.

            “Bismuth can you carry Bailey?  I’m going to cut a way through the mess waiting for us.”

            Bismuth nodded as she helped Jasper slide the injured woman onto her back.

            “Pearl, you keep our rear clear, Bismuth and Bailey are to stay in the middle.  We are cutting through the middle, going through the fence, and reaching my SUV in a nearby parking garage,” she ordered through her heavy pants as she pulled her gas mask back over her face.

            Pearl nodded, her body jittery from all of the adrenaline coursing through her veins.  Her eyes shifted to Bismuth as she put on her gas mask and checked to make sure the one on Garnet was secure. 

            “Bismuth,” came Jasper’s muffled voice.  “Give Pearl the other spare gas mask, she needs to be able to see and we’re going to be running through the gas.”

            “Yes, ma’am,” Bismuth nodded, quickly pulling the extra off from where Jasper had it strapped to her back. 

            The mask was tossed at Pearl.  She quickly put it on and breathed in.  This was it, live or die.  Jasper threw three tear gas grenades high into the air, before throwing two smoke bombs.  Sounds of pain and shock informed them that it was now or never.  The muscular woman fearlessly sprinted out, throwing several more smoke bombs before pulling up her rifle and firing at anyone who was within range.  Bismuth followed right on her heel and Pearl sprinted behind her.  Tear gas caused her exposed skin to burn.  She pushed through the pain as best as she could, her adrenaline helping immensely.  Two vials were thrown, one to each side.  In fifteen seconds, they were halfway through the courtyard, surrounded by wounded gangsters, tear gas, and a dissipating smoke screen.  Five seconds later and they were nearing the space between the South-East building and the South building.  It was almost too good to be true that they were going to make it.  The fence was close enough that Pearl could throw a vial and forcefully open it up.  Floodlight shone off of the glass as it sailed through the air.  With a distant crash and the following explosion, the fence was torn apart, leaving a twisted and smoking hole for them to run through.

            A sharp, metallic ring cut across the chaos and Jasper’s head was violently forced sideways as she exclaimed in pain, momentarily slipping on the wet concrete.  Her hand was instantly covering the middle of her face; blood dripping from between her fingers.  Pearl turned and didn’t hesitate to throw yet another vial at the small group of gang members that had posted themselves by the east side of the South Building.  Several jumped to the side in attempts to avoid the explosion.  The blast went off close by where they all had been.  Pearl and Bismuth staggered backwards from the force, the pale woman grimaced, she hadn’t factored in their proximity when she threw it.  Bismuth regained her feet and brought up her handgun to send several shots at the gangsters, forcing them to stay hidden.  A smoke bomb landed in the middle, quickly spewing the lifesaving cover.  Jasper’s large hand grabbed Pearl and yanked her toward the gap in the fence.  Light blue eyes glanced over her shoulder making sure Bismuth was still with them.  To her relief, the Jersey officer was and still carrying Garnet’s limp body.  The four of them made it to the other side of the fence and continued running towards the office buildings to their left.  Headlights flashed in the parking garage next to the buildings as the undercover police SUV was unlocked.  Jasper opened the side door to the first row of passenger seats and practically threw Pearl in.  Bismuth was right on her heels, shoving her farther into the vehicle so all three of them were inside.  The door was shut, Jasper was in the driver’s spot, and the machine rumbled to life in a matter of seconds.  With a screech of their tires they were shooting out of the parking garage and speeding down the street.  Pearl pulled off her gas mask and breathed out in relief.

            “Bismuth take position at the rear and defend us from any pursuers!  Pearl, make sure Bailey is secure and that none of your little bombs go off in here!” Jasper ordered as she removed her gas mask.

            “Right!” the woman with dreadlocks nodded.

            Bismuth climbed between the two passenger seats towards the bench seat separating her from the cargo area.  She folded the bench down and positioned herself by one of the reinforced bulletproof sections of the SUV next to the side door on the right-side.

            The pale woman quickly caught Garnet’s shoulders before she rolled off the right seat.  Using the available seatbelts, Pearl was able to strap the dark woman in as she lay suspended between the two passenger seats.  Pale fingers then counted her remaining seven vials and moved them to her side where she could keep a good eye on them.

            “We’ve got two in pursuit!” Bismuth called at them as she opened the window of the hatch and took aim with her rifle.

            “Get their tires or throw something that will knock them off course!” Jasper shouted back, her voice oddly muddled by what sounded like a stuffed nose.

            Pearl glanced behind her at Jasper’s reflection in the rearview mirror and grimaced.  There was blood dripping down the front of the sandy haired woman’s face from where part of her nose had been torn from her face and was hanging on by a mere half an inch of skin.  Light blue eyes caught sight of the broken gas mask that was tossed onto the right front seat through the glass and metal wall that separated the front from the passenger seats.  A gangster’s bullet had gone right through the mask and luckily only hit the bottom of Jasper’s nose.  The captain was breathing heavily out of her mouth and occasionally spitting a wad of blood out.  Several pops came from Bismuth as she aimed for the vehicles in pursuit.  Returning fire shot through the back and hit the armored section Bismuth was stationed by.  Their SUV weaved erratically back and forth as evasive maneuvers were taken by Jasper.  Pearl gritted her teeth as she clung to the side of the cushioned seats.  If she fell and crushed one of the vials in her belt, they were all dead.  Carefully, the thin woman stepped over Garnet and crept to the back of the SUV.  She posted herself by the left armored section.

            “What are you doing back here?!” Bismuth shouted.  “Stay with Bailey!”

            “Throw these, they are not as powerful as a grenade, but should get them off our backs,” Pearl said as she handed one vial to the woman with dreadlocks.

            Bismuth stared at the glass tube with wide eyes.  Grey eyes then looked back at one of the cars slowly gaining on them, their bullets striking all over the back and sides of the SUV.  She tossed the item onto the street.  The explosion in front of the car sent it spinning out of control.

            “What is in these?!”

            “Meth ingredients and some water!  I always make a few in case I ever have to make an escape or something,” Pearl shouted over the chaos.

            “Fucking shit,” Bismuth shook her head.

            Pearl threw one at the SUV directly behind them, hitting it right on the hood of the vehicle; causing it to flip over frontwards.  The pale woman grimaced.  Not everyone in that car probably survived that.  A screeching of tires informed the two that the first car was back on their tail after temporarily losing control.  Bismuth frowned and took aim with her rifle.  With a couple of shots the car veered off to the left as a tire was popped.

            “How many more of those vials do you have?” Bismuth asked.

            “Five.”

            “Here, let’s put them in this handgun case, the foam should keep them from breaking.”

            Pearl nodded and carefully put the belt of glass tubes in the case.

            “If I need any more of them I’ll know where they are,” the older woman said as she patted the closed case with her large hand.  “I’ll stay back here and keep an eye out.  You go make sure Bailey is doing ok.”

            “I will.”

            “Try to find the first aid kit while you’re at it.  Jasper probably needs some help, and I could use something to stop up my stab wound,” she motioned to the growing crimson stained area of her shoulder.

            The thin woman nodded again.

 

            White teeth were gritted behind tight lips as she stared out of her office window at the wreckage that had been caused only an hour prior.  Eleven dead, 35 with varying levels of injuries, two more damaged vehicles, one that would have to be torn apart for scraps, three escaped hostages, and one missing cook.  One cook that had made about 200 kilograms of meth in under two months.  That money was going to make it so they could get over this setback.

            “The two vehicles have been recovered as you requested, what are the plans for pursuing them?” one of the higher ranked members of her organization asked her.

            “Get the semis here, we’re packing up and moving,” was her firm order.

            “Ma’am?”

            Yellow eyes narrowed dangerously.  “Don’t question my orders!  The feds will be here soon.  We have a limited head start and I want this place bare in 12 hours.  Have all the injured taken care of, dispose of all the bodies and get everyone and everything packed up.  I then want the cleaning crew to make a thorough sweep and clean any piece of evidence up.”

            “Yes, Yellow Diamond!” the goon saluted before running away.

            The Drug Lord breathed out evenly, trying to ease some of the strain and tension slowly turning her body into a giant knot.  Ms. Pearl stood off to her side, silently offering her support.  Yellow Diamond reached into her blazer and pulled out the cracked, bulletproof sunglasses she had taken from Officer Bailey and placed in the left chest pocket.  She had envisioned everything happening so differently.  True, she had expected Pearl to resist for the first couple of months, but once she relaxed and settled in, so would have Yellow Diamond’s restrictions.  She would have let Pearl see Steven and Amethyst more.  She would have given the cook more freedom.  Pearl would have eventually become accustomed to her new life.  But Yellow Diamond had been overconfident when handling Officer Bailey and as a result the dark woman was able to free the two teens.  While Garnet had been captured and rightfully punished, Pearl had shown obvious defiance by trying to escape with the injured woman.  Yellow Diamond had realized that it would take much longer and more force to get Pearl to cooperate.  The two were back in her control for just a few minutes before all hell broke loose in her base.  Two outsiders had swiftly cut through her defenses, rescued Garnet, broken Pearl out, and then drove off.  Yellow Diamond rolled her shoulders back and stared straight ahead.  This would only set her back a little bit.  It wouldn’t take long to regain the lost membership or set up in the new location.  Eyes drifted sideways as fingers raised up the cracked sunglasses.  As it moved in front of her face, her own reflection briefly flashing across the blue and pink tinted surface.  She would not forget this night, and those who had defied her.

 

            It didn’t take too long for Pearl to find the first aid kit.  Thankfully, it was a sizeable one that had enough gauze pads to keep the injured officers from bleeding everywhere.  The glass separating Jasper and Pearl had a section that could be opened up from the front side.  Through that, Pearl was able to place a nice wad of gauze over Jasper’s nose and secure it in place with some duct tape.  Bismuth’s stab wound in her right shoulder was inspected, pulled together, and wrapped up.  The two officers held their positions, Jasper manning the wheel as the SUV headed towards Beach City, while Bismuth continued to watch for any suspicious vehicles.  Pearl carefully examined Garnet’s wounds and tracked her pulse.  So far the only responses the dark woman had given were groans and a hand weakly trying to swat her away.  Thankfully, her pulse was steady, weak, but steady.  The pale woman sat on the floor of the SUV right next to the resting woman, keeping a hold on the seat to anchor herself from any bumps in the road or turns the SUV made.  Light blue eyes gazed up at the steadily lightening sky.  The pitch black was slowly becoming a dark purple followed by shades of red as the sun began to rise.  Pearl let out a huge sigh of relief.  They had made it out.  All of them.  They weren’t in the best of shape, but they were all alive.  Pearl looked down at Garnet and smiled as a warm feeling spread through her chest.

_Thank you, Garnet._

            A wave of nausea passed over her.  Pearl closed her mouth and turned away.  With all of the adrenaline out of her system, she was starting to feel the full force of her bullet wounds.  The leather jacket was opened up to reveal the blood-soaked paper towels, shirt, and the top eight inches or so of her jeans.  Pearl grimaced and then dragged the first aid kit over to herself.  A wad of gauze was added on top of the paper towels covering both the entry and exit wounds.  All the movement had certainly disturbed the wounds and kept them from closing up at all.  She gagged as another wave hit her.  The thin woman kept it down, tears stinging her eyes and her world rocking back and forth.

            _I should lie down._

Pearl laid down on the floor of the SUV and took a calming breath.  Jasper was driving quickly, it shouldn’t be too long before they were in Beach City and could get to the hospital.  She stared at her bloodied hands for a moment.  Light blue eyes closed as the hands were laid against her makeshift bandage.  The SUV was jerked off its steady course for a moment.  Pearl grumbled as her stomach tossed from the movement.  What seemed like seconds later, the SUV jerked again before they quickly decelerated and the centrifugal force pulled Pearl towards the left side of the car.

            _What is going on?!  I just laid down…_

            The pale woman slowly rolled onto her uninjured side and used the metal back of the front seats to pull herself to her knees.  Jasper was driving with one hand, while the other frantically typed an address into the console and started the voiced navigation.  Light blue eyes glanced down at the computer through the bulletproof glass window.  Pearl clutched her side as Jasper’s hands accidentally jerked the steering wheel.

            “What the fuck are you doing Jasper?” she groaned.

            “I’m driving!” came her angry and strained voice.

            The SUV rumbled down streets, heading towards the middle of whatever city they were in.

            “I thought we were heading to Beach City?”

            “We’re not going to make it to Beach City.  We all need to get to a hospital, it’s only a matter of minutes before we start going into shock from blood loss or whatever shit causes it,” came Jasper’s heavy reply.

            “Oh…”

            Light blue eyes looked down at the computer in front of her.  The SUV swerved again.  Pearl gagged.

            “Don’t you dare throw up in my car.  You can do that at the hospital!”

            The pale woman swallowed thickly and breathed out evenly.

            “Are you going to make it?” she asked the muscular woman.

            “I have to make it!  I’m not stopping, we are getting there before I go into shock.  Now brace yourself, it’s going to be a bumpy ride,” Jasper gritted her teeth as she hit a few switches causing the siren to turn on and the hidden lights to flash.

            Pearl pinched the bridge of her nose and gingerly laid back down on the floor, bracing her feet against the metal wall and the base of the left passenger seat.  Hopefully she wouldn’t roll around too much.  Another wave of nausea hit her, causing her to dry heave.

            _We better make it._

            She cursed as the SUV made a hairpin turn.

            _Jasper’s gonna kill us all…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Jasper and Bismuth combination of blasting through Yellow Diamond's base is something I never knew I needed until I wrote this. They got out! How many of you thought they would or wouldn't?
> 
> Big thanks to ShadyWinters for getting me information on police SUVs, especially the bulletproof sections. And another huge thanks to Unrequited for all of their recommendations and edits for these crazy chapters and keeping me honest in my writing. :D :D
> 
> Another picture! Just of Yellow Diamond's black die can be seen here (https://thetruthampere.tumblr.com/image/161115696048)


	29. Anticipation and Homecoming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to take a breather and find out how things were going back at Beach City. Steven and Amethyst finally return home.

^^^^^^

Peridot waits for Amethyst and Steven’s rescue and return.

^^^^^^

 

            Peridot Sanders walked into the police station with two of Amethyst’s older sisters to see if there was any news.  It had been three days.  Three miserable, stressful, and awfully long days. She had sent out posts on each social media platform she was a member of, asking if anyone had seen the kidnapper’s car or someone with Steven or Amethyst’s description.  All of Amethyst’s family had done the same.  At first there had been some hope that her best friend and Steven would be found quickly.  The short, blonde-haired teenager peered past the front desk at the mostly empty police station.  Officer Lazuli was walking over to greet them.  She was one of two officers working right now at the station as Jasper was patrolling where Officer Garnet usually was.  Peridot suspected that Garnet was gone doing something in regards to Amethyst’s kidnapping.

            “You guys looking for an update?” Officer Lazuli greeted them with a weak smile.

            “Yeah!  If you don’t mind,” Amethyst’s sister Curly affirmed.

            “Well I can’t say much.  There’s no bad news, but there’s no good news either.”

            “Oh…” Curly’s broad shoulders fell.  “What can we do?  Are there places we can look?  Do we know where they were taken?”

            Lapis pursed her lips.  “Keep tabs on those posts you all made and let us know if anyone comes up with anything.  We are doing all that we can on our end, so any additional tips or information would be very helpful.”

            “You have our guarantee,” Peridot piped up.  “The instant I, Curly, or any of Amethyst’s other family members hear anything, we will let you know.”

            “Thank you,” Officer Lazuli gave them a tired smile.  “Same here, if we get any news or progress on the case, either Captain Green or I will be giving calls to let all of you know.”

            “That means a lot to us, thanks,” Curly gave a light nod of her head.

            It was the same news as the day before, and the same news was received the next day as well.  Days bled into a week.  One week became two.  Two weeks turned into three.  Little changed, the information was the same, but each time Officer Lazuli was more strained in maintaining a slightly cheerful attitude.  Peridot wondered if the police were even doing all they could to try and find Amethyst and Steven.  Around Beach City, the absence of the two was definitely felt.  Steven wasn’t there to burst into song or interact with everyone who crossed his path and cheer them up.  Amethyst wasn’t there to tease Pearl or to get Peridot to do random things like having shopping cart races.  The Perez family was still friendly and welcoming, but it was easy to notice how much they were worried about their missing daughter/sister/niece.  Greg Universe could still be seen at his car wash, but without the melodic tunes that would waft through the air when he wasn’t busy.  On the couple of occasions that Peridot had spoken with him, he expressed hope in his son and Amethyst being rescued.  Peridot would never say this out loud, but Greg’s optimism wasn’t very convincing.  The short teen’s brow furrowed, in the same month, more individuals had not been seen with no explanation.  The easiest to notice was Pearl, she was no longer at any of her loitering spots or helping Mr. O’Reilly fix up his mechanic shop.  Officer Garnet was next, along with Officer Sugilite.  Peridot sincerely hoped that the disappearance of the adults meant that they were helping to find Amethyst and Steven.  One time when Peridot and Curly had dropped by the police station, the short teenager noticed two older women speaking with Captain Green.  Concern was etched into their faces, hands holding onto the other’s tightly, and worried tones came from their mouths.  They were about the same height, one with light brown skin and curly hair and the other had dark skin and long wavy black hair with blue highlights.  Peridot had never seen them before, but she could have sworn she heard them asking about Officer Bailey.  Curly’s shoulders slumped as the news they received was the same as before.  The short teen glanced over her shoulder to look at the older two women one last time as she left the station.

            Four days and three weeks had passed since Amethyst and Steven’s kidnapping.  A pebble was harshly thrown into the choppy ocean waves as Peridot tried to manage her frustration and grief for her missing friend.  While many people had spread the word around about the two missing, no helpful information or clues had been gained in return.  Some had sent pictures containing similar cars to the one that the kidnappers had drove or a picture of someone that looked like either Steven or Amethyst.  However, each one was just a false piece of hope.  Heavy, fast approaching footsteps came from behind.  Peridot turned around to see Curly running up to her.

            “C’mon!  We got some news!” she grinned as she grabbed Peridot by the arm and drug her towards the police station.

            “About damn time!” the blonde teen shouted as she ran along.

            The police station was packed full with the Perez family, Greg, and Steven’s best friend Connie.  A loud rumble of questions was tumbling out from the crowd.

            “QUIET!” Captain Green’s voice called out.

            A hush ran across them.

            “Now,” Jasper said firmly.  “We have confirmation that Amethyst and Steven are both alive and in good health.  One of those working to get them back saw them, and spoke with them today.”

            “Why aren’t we going in after them?!”

            “How come they didn’t get them back?!”

            The muscular woman raised up her hand to call for quiet.  “It’s a very delicate situation.  While our contact saw them, they did not get to see where they are being kept.  We don’t want to proceed with any action that might cause the kidnapper to react unkindly towards Amethyst or Steven.  We are doing our best to get them out safely and as soon as possible.”

            Peridot frowned.  It was news, they were alive, but still in the hands of their kidnappers.  However, there was hope.  Real hope this time.  If the contact had seen them and spoken with them, then they were one step closer to getting back home.  A small fist was clenched and held close to her chest.  Amethyst and Steven would make it back; she knew it.

            The good news certainly lifted the spirits of the residents of Beach City.  Perhaps it wouldn’t be too much longer before a police car returned and the two missing teens would jump out into their family’s arms.  Yet as the days passed without any further news, the budding hope slowly wilted.  Peridot’s pessimism was slowly taking over.  She would still visit the police station each day, but it would be brief and then she would return home to lose herself in her homework, coding, or computer games.  It didn’t take long to notice that Captain Green had left Beach City.  Officer Lazuli and the remaining officers looked more frazzled and tired with each passing day as she worked constantly to stay on top of the day to day work at the station.

            One month became two.  A sigh was pushed past thin lips with the same amount of enthusiasm as the door to the police station was pushed open.  It was ridiculously late at night, but Curly had wanted to go to the station and just see if anything had changed.  They had missed checking in at their usual time due to Curly’s job changing her shift at the last moment.

            “Really?!” Officer Lazuli’s oddly excited tone spoke into the phone pressed against the side of her face.  “Thank the stars…”

            Peridot and Curly raised an eyebrow at each other and strained their ears to hear as much of the one-sided conversation as possible.

            “I see.  How long?  That’s wonderful news.  Don’t worry I’ll inform all of them.  Four hours?  Ok.  I see, that makes complete sense.  I’ll give Dr. Maheswaran a call as well.  What about the others?  Oh…  Well, I have confidence in them.  Thanks for letting me know Sugilite.  See you soon.”

            Lapis hung up the phone and turned around to see the two standing at the front desk.  Peridot and Curly didn’t dare to speak, but let the silence ask the question for them.  Officer Lazuli’s face was lit up with a genuine smile.

            “We have Amethyst and Steven.  Sugilite is driving them back as we speak.”

            Peridot couldn’t breathe.

            “How long??!!” Curly shouted as she gripped her hair.

            “Four hours.  She’s taking them right to the hospital, so I suggest gathering there to welcome them home.”

            “Are they hurt?” Peridot clenched her fists and bit one of her knuckles.

            “Minor cuts, but we want to be safe and make sure there isn’t anything else.”

            Curly wrapped her thick arms around Peridot and picked her up for a bone crushing hug.  Green eyes nearly bulged out of her sockets from the pressure, but she couldn’t stop smiling.  Amethyst and Steven were safe and were on their way to Beach City.

            The news spread like a wildfire.  In a half an hour, Greg, the entire Perez family, Peridot, and Connie were in the waiting room of the hospital.  Welcome home signs were made, food was brought, and excited chatter came from all ends.  Thankfully, it was a slow night so the nurses and doctors didn’t mind the crowd.  Four hours crawled by like a snail race.  Surely two more months could pass before the anticipated arrival actually happened.

            “I see Sugilite’s hummer!” came the shout.

            Everyone was on their feet, rushing out into the cold winter night to greet the vehicle.  Peridot stood on her tippy toes to try and see over the several large forms standing in front of her.  The low rumble of the engine approaching and then turning off met her ears.  Green eyes were able to find a window and catch a view of the side of the purple hummer.  Sugilite’s thick frame stepped out and then opened up the passenger side door, a wide grin on her face.  A sorely missed mop of platinum blonde hair appeared along with black curly hair.  Amethyst and Steven cautiously stepped out of the hummer, staring with disbelief at the huge gathering waiting for them.  They both wore different clothes than what they usually wore under their familiar jackets, they had several cuts, and tear-stained cheeks.  Applause and cheers rang out.

            “STEVEN!” Greg cried out as he ran to his son.

            “DAD!” Steven’s voice cracked.

            Greg lifted Steven off the ground, hugging him as his son held him back; tears running down both of their faces.

            “LITTLE SIS!”

            “AMETHYST!”

            “PUMA!”

            Amethyst was mobbed by her sisters and cousins; a gigantic hug overflowing with love and tears.  Amethyst’s mother and father demanded access to hug their daughter after a couple of minutes of letting the sisters and cousins see her first.  Laughter rang out, Connie got to hug Steven next.  Peridot stood back smiling so much it hurt.  Eventually, the crowd parted and her best friend came running towards her.  For the second time that night Peridot was enveloped in a bone crushing hug.

            “I missed you so much,” she squeaked into Amethyst’s ear, tears running down her narrow cheeks, and her glasses partially smashed against her face.

            “Aww, I missed you too, Nerd.”

            Peridot laughed.  The two were surrounded and enveloped in a group hug.

            “How’d you get out?”

            “What happened?”

            “Are you hungry?”

            “Did you fight anyone?”

            Dozens of questions came flying out at once.  Amethyst looked around, unsure on where to start.

            “Alright, there will plenty of time to catch-up, but I need to have Amethyst and Steven looked over,” Sugilite spoke up.  “Amethyst, Dr. Maheswaran will see you, and Steven, Dr. West will be taking care of you.”

            “Ok,” Steven nodded with some hesitation.

            “Umm,” Amethyst rubbed the side of her head, her breath coming out in small puffs.  “Is it ok if we’re in neighboring rooms?  I don’t want us to be separated that much.  I know we gotta have privacy and all, but it would just help that’s all.”

            “Yeah,” the younger teen spoke up.  “It’s just reassuring to know each other is safe,” he tried to finish with a chuckle.

            “Of course,” Sugilite nodded.  “I’ll be right in the hallway too if you need anything.”

            “Thanks,” the platinum haired teen smiled.

            Several of Amethyst’s family members scooped her up and carried her into the hospital on their shoulders.  Greg attempted to do the same, but resigned to let a couple of Amethyst’s strong cousins carry Steven in when he was unable to heft his son onto his shoulders.  Peridot followed the back of the crowd, cheering along with them.  The inside of the hospital was stuffed full once again as everyone waited for the two to get checked over and taken care of.  Curly brought out two decks of cards and a large game of Slap Jack was set up.  Peridot sat down to join in, keeping a watchful eye out for the ones who liked to slam their fist down on the deck instead of slapping.  An hour later Steven and Amethyst returned.  Steven only needed a couple stitches, most of his cuts only needing a bandage or two.  The silver haired teen had several stitches on her hands and legs.  Both were in great spirits and were eager to join in the celebration while they waited for some of their lab results to come back.  Questions soon followed as everyone wanted to know just what had happened, where they had been taken, and by whom.

            “We were grabbed and carried off into this car, I tried swinging at them and telling ‘em to fuck off, but we were outnumbered and they had the element surprise on their side,” Amethyst told, swinging her arms around to mimic her attempts to escape.

            “She did get one of them pretty good in the nose, he was pretty mad,” Steven added.

            “I wasn’t going to go out without a fight!”

            “So where did they take you?” one of Amethyst’s older sisters asked.

            “Up north.  We stopped not too long after we saw Empire City.  They pulled us out and we were taken to one of several buildings surrounded by some fences.”

            “There were a lot of people,” the teenage boy supplemented.  “We were taken to some rooms past a huge kitchen area.  The room they shut us in had two beds and had these clothes laid out,” he motioned to the pink shirt he was wearing.

            “They all fit fairly well, which was super creepy,” Amethyst commented, the last part said out of the corner of her mouth.

            “Wait!  This wasn’t random, the bed, the clothes, this was all a premeditated kidnapping!” Peridot quickly realized.  “Why did they kidnap you?”

            Steven and Amethyst glanced at each other, eyebrows pulled together in concern.

            “A couple hours after we had been locked in the room, a serious business lady walked in escorted by two burly bodyguards and a lanky assistant.”

            “Business lady?”

            “Yeah,” Amethyst scratched the back of her neck.  “I guess you could say she’s in the business of selling drugs and shit.”

            No questions were asked, everyone just waited for her to continue.

            “Well Miss Business came in and explained that cooperating with the outlined rules was the ‘optimal’ course of action and that any resistance or misbehavior would be met with swift repercussions.”

            “Yeah she wasn’t joking about that.  Amethyst and I missed several meals while we were there because of things we tried,” Steven added in.  “But we were fine, we’d just sneak a little extra something while preparing some of the food in the kitchens.  Smokey never reported us when they saw.”

            “Well that’s good to hear at least, we were very worried of what they might be doing to you,” Connie spoke up.

            “Especially since no ransom or anything was given to us, we had no idea what they wanted or why they took you,” Greg explained.

            “They didn’t do anything to us aside from missing a few meals, but you never knew if they would do something,” Steven assured.  “We never were hurt aside from being tossed around while being taken.  There were some that would make rude comments or get mad at us really easy.  Smokey never did any of that and we were with them most of the time.”

            “But why were you both kidnapped?  Did they explain that at all?  And what was Miss Business’s name?  Did you find out?” Peridot redirected.

            “Oh…” Amethyst glanced to the side.  “She’s…”

            “Yellow Diamond,” Steven firmly stated.  “A drug lord, and she was...” the young teen looked back to Amethyst for help.

            “She was trying to recruit us for her organization,” the silver haired teenager grinned uneasily.  “Apparently, we had ‘great potential’ to become her goons.”

            “Oohhh,” Peridot nodded.  “While I do not doubt you both have a valuable set of skills, there should have been other potential targets that would have enjoyed that kind of life much more than the two of you.”

            “I wasn’t going to question her,” Amethyst shrugged.  “She wanted us bad, and well she would have kept us had it not been for Garnet and Pearl busting us out.”

            “Garnet and Pearl?” Connie repeated for clarification.

            “Yeah!” Steven piped up.  “Pearl passed to us a knock code that we could use to try and find each other while we were in a meeting with Yellow Diamond.”

            “And G-man is the one who got us out.  We heard the knock code on our door, then it was opened up and Garnet was right there.  She led the way and helped us over the fence to where this lady named Bismuth arrived and took us away.”

            “Sugilite showed up to take out the car chasing us and then we switched cars so Sugilite could take us back here.”

            “We all were working together to get you two out.  Pearl offered her assistance in the operation,” Sugilite stepped forward.  “We couldn’t say anything because we didn’t want our plan to come to light and our cover blown.”

            “So that’s where everyone has been!” Peridot exclaimed.  “No wonder the police station has looked short-staffed.  Captain Green and Officer Bailey, along with you were all gone.”

            “And where are they?” A new voice chimed in.

            Peridot turned around to see two short older women holding each other’s hands.  It took a moment, but she recognized them.  They were the ones who had visited the police station some time ago.

            “What?  Who specifically?” Sugilite requested.

            “Garnet?  Do you know where she is?”

            The silver haired teenager looked at the ground, her hands gripping her jeans.

            “She’s still back there,” came her hoarse whisper.

            The room became silent.

            Steven clenched his fists as tears began to run down his cheeks again.  Amethyst sniffed, trying to hold back hers.

            “Garnet…didn’t make it over the fence.  The last we saw, she was being dragged away by the gangsters chasing us.  I’m sorry,” the teen made eye contact with the two women.

            The one with long hair and blue highlights, turned into the curly haired woman’s shoulder.  Strong arms were wrapped around the thinner woman’s torso.  The one with curly hair attempted to give Amethyst a reassuring smile.

            “There’s no reason for you to be sorry.  We’re glad you’re both back with your families.  Garnet’s smart and strong, she’ll be back in no time.”

            “Yeah!  Bismuth went back for her too, that’s why we switched cars with Sugilite,” Steven chimed in trying to provide some hope.

            Amethyst sighed and rubbed her arm, momentarily forgetting the stitches on her palm.  She immediately stopped and winced at the pain.

            “So,” Connie broke the unsettling silence, “I would like to know more about this Smokey, can you tell us about them?”

            “Smokey was super friendly and would crack a lot of jokes; mostly puns.  They were in charge of us while we were in the kitchens.”

            “Yeah, we got to peel lots of potatoes and carrots, I’m practically an expert,” Amethyst added with an attempted cheerful tone.  “But yeah Smokey was pretty chill.”

            “Smokey didn’t mind if we messed around as long as we got things done in time, and they taught us a few cooking skills, especially with how to properly and safely cut things with a knife.”  Steven looked down at his hands in his lap.  “But yeah, they were really the only nice part, the rest was pretty…”

            “Shitty,” Amethyst completed for him.  “We were always watched, instructed on when to do what and where.  I hated it.”

            Steven grunted in agreement.

            “Well, I’m sure I speak for everyone here,” Curly piped up, “We are so happy you’re all back, and we’ll be there for you both always.  We love you and missed you so much.”

            Multiple sounds of agreement and a loud cheer followed the short statement.  Greg pulled Steven in for a hug, and Amethyst’s hair was affectionately ruffled by one of her cousins.

            “Well I think that’s more than enough questions for the night,” Sugilite stepped in.  “You two need some rest, preferably in your own beds for a change.  I’ve spoken with the night shift officers and there will be at least one of us watching over you both from now until Jasper says otherwise.”

            A chorus of complaints rumbled through the crowd, mostly Amethyst’s family.

            “Hey, none of that!  They need their rest.  You can all chat later.”

            “Thanks, Sugilite,” Steven yawned as he rubbed his eye.

            “Aww don’t do that man!” Amethyst also yawned.  “You’re gonna make me all sleepy.”

            Peridot nervously chuckled as she shared a concerned glance with Curly.  No doubt there was going to be some recovery time for Steven and Amethyst.  Before long the lab results came back for the two teens informing them that they had not caught any infections or diseases.  They both were given some supplies to take care of their wounds and a time frame to come back and get the stitches removed.  Greg and Amethyst’s mother and father were given a couple of recommendations for therapists in the area that could help out with the resulting trauma of the whole kidnapping.  Lastly, Dr. Maheswaran informed Steven, Amethyst, and their parents that there would be no bill for the care they received or any related follow up.  The whole hospital staff was just happy to see them back and were more than willing to cover the cost themselves.  More tears were shed and everyone thanked the hospital staff for their help.  Around 8 am in the morning the crowd left the hospital, taking Amethyst and Steven back to their homes for some needed rest.  Peridot watched Officer Bailey’s mothers solemnly leave out of the corner of her eye.  Ruby put her arm around Sapphire as the thinner of the two silently cried.  Sugilite traded off with another officer on watching over Amethyst, while another followed Steven and Greg home.  Peridot crashed on Amethyst’s couch along with the numerous family members who were staying over.

 

            The doors to the hospital’s emergency room burst open, catching everyone’s attention.

            “I need two stretchers stat!” Jasper yelled as she strode through the crowd towards the front desk with an obvious limp.

            Sandy hair was sticking out wildly in all directions, wet blood coating the front of her face, damp shirt, and several other spots.  Her clothes were tattered and had multiple holes in them.  Most noticeably was the duct tape around her head and the wad of crimson soaked gauze over her nose.  She walked past the line to the front desk and leaned heavily on it.

            “Here’s the insurance policy to use for all four of us, if they have any questions, they can bug me once I’ve gotten this taken care of and I’ve been able to recover from the shit I’ve been through tonight!” Jasper continued as she threw the insurance card and her police badge on the counter and motioned to her wrapped up face.

            The nurse opened her mouth and closed it as she processed the scene.

            “We will help you out once there are personnel available to,” was her automatic response.

            “I’ve got one unconscious officer, one civilian that’s bleeding out through her stomach, another officer that has a deep stab wound, and I’m seconds from going into shock!  They are right outside in the undercover SUV.  I’m existing on adrenaline right now and it’s a fucking emergency that they all get taken care of as soon as possible!”

            “Ma’am, would you please return all of your weapons to your vehicle and have your fellow officers do the same?  We will have medical personnel out right away,” a second nurse spoke as she stood behind the first.

            Jasper blinked in confusion, then looked at herself.  She still had her dart gun, rifle, and other assorted weapons strapped to her body.

            “Oh…shit, sorry, fucking shit, I-” the muscular woman scrambled as she backed up.  “I didn’t- I thought I took them off…”

            “It’s alright,” brown eyes glanced at the badge, “Captain Green.  We will make sure you get taken care of.”

            “And my buddies too, they’re right out here.  I got a close parking spot.”

            “We will be right with you,” the second nurse calmly repeated.

            “Ok…ok,” Jasper nodded as she shakily strode to her vehicle.

            As she removed her plethora of weapons, a handful of nurses arrived with the stretchers and worked seamlessly to put Garnet on one and Pearl on the other.

            “We all have been exposed to tear gas, so be careful when cleaning stuff, washing clothes and their skin,” Jasper scratched her head as she watched them get wheeled towards the emergency room entrance.

            “I can’t afford this!” came Pearl’s groggy voice.

            Two nurses came out with wheelchairs for the other two women.  A large hand was braced on Jasper’s shoulder as Bismuth crawled out of the back.  Sweat trickled down the woman’s brow, tired grey eyes met frantic amber ones.  They clasped hands for a moment silently celebrating their success in rescuing the two women and making it out alive.  Bismuth and Jasper removed their weapons and the undercover police SUV was locked up.  With some considerable coaxing, the two were settled in the wheelchairs and taken into the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They made it! Now they just need to recover from all of the trauma they have been through.


	30. Waking Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to check in on how everyone is recovering. There's bound to be bumps in the road and a number of questions that need answers. One by one they all wake up.

^^^^^^

The survivors wake up.

^^^^^^

 

            Eyes opened slowly as a moan that sounded like the risen dead gurgled up from her throat and tore through the still room.  Her body felt like lead and her head felt like it was stuffed with an entire bag of cotton balls.  Pearl breathed in deeper, forcing the cool air into her lungs.  Light blue eyes blinked at a snail’s pace as she looked around the room she was lying in.  It was a standard hospital room, her bed was surrounded with monitors and IVs were stuck into her arms.  Annoying beeping echoed through the almost empty room.  Slouching in one of the simple chairs set next to a white wall was Jasper’s sleeping form.  The muscular woman’s nose was covered with clean bandages, and she appeared to be in a fresh set of clothes.  Pearl moved her hand to touch her side, she could feel the bandages underneath the hospital gown she was in.  The pale woman remembered arriving at the hospital and being taken into surgery, but past that, she had no idea what happened.

            _Where’s Garnet?!_

Panic surged through her system and she tried to sit up.  Pearl immediately regretted the action as the world went topsy-turvy and her weak body just fell back against the hospital bed with her side pulsing with fire.  Another sound of the undead left her thin lips.

            _Shit…that hurt.  Great, now I’m stuck here until Jasper wakes up or someone comes in and tells me what the fuck is going on._

A deep breath was pulled in and another louder groan was made.  Pearl frowned when Jasper didn’t react.

            “Jasper,” she croaked.  “Jasper!” she repeated louder.

            Another deep breath was pulled in ready to be expelled in an attempt to wake the other woman up.

            “Can’t a tired woman get some decent shuteye?” Jasper grumbled, her eyes remaining closed and her body not moving except for her mouth.

            “Where’s Garnet?” Pearl asked, the desire to know the answer was consuming her thoughts.

            “Seriously?!  That’s the first thing you say?  Not ‘Thank you Jasper for totally saving our asses from Yellow Diamond’, or ‘Thank you Jasper for busting us out of the complex full of gangsters and for driving us all to a hospital where we all could be taken care of and not die’?”

            The pale woman huffed.

            “Sorry, I was just really worried about her,” Pearl grumbled.  She then inhaled and exhaled heavily as if to clear her mind.  “Thank you Jasper, for everything.  Risking your life, getting us to the hospital, and especially coming back for me, even when you already had Garnet.”

            A smirk formed on round lips.  “You’re welcome.”

            “So…where is Garnet?  Is she ok?”

            Jasper sighed heavily and opened her amber eyes to roll them.  “Back to Garnet.”

            “Hey!  We’ve been keeping track of each other for the past two months.  The last time I saw her she was unconscious and barely breathing!”

            “She’s in another room, Bismuth is watching over her along with another police guard.  You have one posted outside of your door too, so don’t freak out when you see them.”  The muscular woman stretched and folded her arms behind her head.  “Garnet…is sleeping.  From what I overhead from the doctors she’s got a combination of exhaustion, shock, blunt force trauma, and a bad concussion.  Do you know what Yellow Diamond did to her?”

            Light blue eyes looked to the side.  “I never saw what was done to Garnet that night, but I can guess she was beaten up by several of Yellow Diamond’s goons.  Her left arm looked like it had been grazed with a bullet, and she was missing her sunglasses.”

            The corner of Jasper’s lips quirked down into a frown.  “I see.  Either way, she’s going to be given some serious medical leave so she can completely heal before coming back to work.  Well aside from writing her reports, we will need those to convict the Drug Lord.”

            Thin fingers gripped at the hospital sheets.  Any further conversation was halted by a female nurse walking into the room.

            “Ms. Meyers, good to see you up and moving,” she greeted.  “And good to see you Captain Green,” she nodded to the larger woman.

            Jasper waved off the greeting.

            “How are you doing Ms. Meyers?”

            “I feel like shit.”

            “That’s understandable, you were in pretty bad shape when you arrived early this morning.”

            “I want to go see Garnet.”

            “Excuse me?” the nurse raised an eyebrow.

            “I want to go see Garnet,” Pearl repeated.  “Can you arrange for that?”

            “Also known as Officer Bailey,” Jasper supplied from the side.  “That’s the only thing on her mind right now.”

            Pearl growled at Jasper.  The nurse opened her mouth to speak up when the door opened and a male doctor walked in.

            “You are in no condition to be moved right now.  This is the first time you’ve woken up since your surgery this morning.”

            “Who the fuck are you?” the pale woman rounded on him.

            “Dr. Williams,” he lightly bowed, “I am overseeing both you and Officer Bailey at the moment.  Technically, all four of you, but the other two are doing well and will just need follow up care.”

            “Take me to Garnet,” Pearl demanded.  “I have to see her.”

            “We need to see if you can handle any food and check on your side and leg.  Also, you still have about half of your antibiotics left to absorb,” he stated as he checked the bag attached to one of her IVs.

            “My leg?!  What did you guys do to me?  There was nothing wrong with my leg!”

            Dr. Williams sighed heavily.  “We had to pull a skin graft in order to close up your side.  You were pretty lucky, your bullet wounds were more towards the edge of your body and not your middle so a fewer number of organs were affected and repaired without too many complications.”

            Pearl paused.  She should find out what happened to her.

            “What all was hit and what will my recovery time be?” she asked carefully.

            “The upper bullet wound tore through the muscle and caused hairline fractures along your 10th rib.  The lower bullet went through your oblique muscles and hit your large intestine before exiting out your lower back, thankfully missing your kidneys and your spleen.  We had to suture the large intestine back together along with a number of other sutures to ensure that everything healed correctly.  The skin graft was for the lower bullet wound, since a sizeable portion of your skin was missing.  It was taken from the outside of your left thigh, an area that usually can spare a couple inches of skin.  You also needed a blood transfusion, but only two units.”

            The pale woman stared off into space as her mind processed the information.  She was very lucky.

            _So this is what it’s like to get shot…and Garnet, I shot her in the leg, her injury was so much worse…_

“What’s my recovery time?”

            “Well,” Dr. Williams began, “A couple months before you resume your normal level of activity.  In six weeks your rib will have healed from the fractures, your stitches should dissolve in about four weeks, and then you should just have to rehabilitate the muscles in your abdomen and keep an eye on your stool to make sure your large intestine healed properly.  For now, we are going to start you on a liquid diet and see how your digestive tract responds to that.  If all goes well, you should be back to solid food in no time.”

            _That’s not bad, I can handle that._

“What kind of physical activity should I avoid while my side is healing?”

            “Don’t lift more than ten pounds, rest a lot, don’t do any abdominal exercises until we’ve cleared you to, and be mindful of what hurts it and what doesn’t.”

            “I see.  And my leg?”

            “That should heal in a couple of weeks, we will have the stitches removed then.  Until then, keep an eye on it, make sure you don’t do anything that would cause any of the sutures to pop.”

            Pearl numbly nodded.

            “I would like to see Garnet, may I be taken to her?”

            “Not now, you need to rest for the day and let your body heal.  Tomorrow we might be able to arrange for you to visit her.”

            Thin lips formed a frown as Pearl crossed her arms in front of her flat chest.

            “When will I be discharged?”

            “One we’ve seen that your skin graft has taken and that your stool and urine samples are clear of blood or infection.  A day or two hopefully.”

            “Thanks.  Thanks for taking care of me, I don’t know if I’ll be able to repay the cost of this.”

            “You’re under the ‘Line of Action’ insurance policy for the Beach City Police Department,” Jasper grumbled from the side.  “I’ve already got a migraine from dealing with the shitheads on the phone so you would be covered.”

            Pearl stared at Jasper with an open mouth.  “Th-thank you Jasper, that’s…that’s very generous of you.  I-”

            “Just shut it, you helped with the operation and got hurt in the process, it’s the honorable thing to do.”

            “Thank you.  Seriously, I wouldn’t have been able to pay this.”

            “I know.”

            Dr. Williams glanced between the two.  “Now that you know that your bills have been generously taken care of, let’s focus on getting you back on your feet.  Nurse Rowley will take care of your needs in the day time and will introduce you to your nighttime nurse when the shift changes.”

            Pearl nodded.  With that last statement, Dr. Williams said good-bye to all of them.  Nurse Rowley informed Pearl that her dinner would be brought by soon and that she could inform the front desk if Pearl wanted to allow any visitors.  The pale woman gave the authorization to have visitors, even though she didn’t think anyone really would be coming see her in this random hospital.  Jasper was handed a hospital menu and was given instructions on how to order something to have it delivered.  The muscular woman called in her order.  In fifteen minutes Pearl’s dinner arrived.  The off-white plastic cover was removed to reveal a bowl of soup broth and a plate of green jello.

            _Yippee…_

She tentatively poked the large, jiggly square with her plastic spork.  Stabbing the blob was only successful at lifting it up for a moment before it separated into two pieces; both of which fell back onto the plate.  Jasper snickered from her seat.  Pearl glared at her. then scooped up one of the blobs and shoved it into her mouth.  The door opened and a covered plate was wheeled in for Jasper.  With a wide grin, Jasper removed the lid to display the decent-sized looking hamburger, a cup of assorted cut fruit, a pile of mashed potatoes, and a large cube of cheesy lasagna.  To Pearl it smelled heavenly.  Jasper grabbed the hamburger and took a huge bite out of it, then dramatically moaned with satisfaction as she rolled her eyes back.

            “I hate you,” Pearl grumbled as she stabbed her jello.

 

            It took what felt like forever for Pearl to be allowed to go see Garnet.  After sleeping through the night, enduring the phlebotomist’s 2 am blood sample, and successfully absorbing all of the antibiotics and green jello prescribed to her, the pale woman was allowed a visit to go see Garnet.  Nurse Rowley assisted her in getting into the bathroom and then brought a wheelchair for her to be transported in.  Jasper couldn’t contain her snickers and occasional bursts of laughter the whole time.  Pearl fired back saying that Jasper’s voice sounded like a high-pitched little boy’s.  The laughter instantly died and the muscular woman glared daggers at Pearl.  Nurse Rowley made no comment and began to wheel Pearl through the hospital.  Jasper followed, walking silently behind both of them.  Thin legs bounced up and down on the footrests with anticipation, fingers wringing together and gripping the front of her hospital gown.  Soon a door with a police officer sitting outside came into view.  With a short nod between the guard and Jasper, they were let in.  Pearl sucked in a breath.  Garnet’s room was identical to hers, the only main difference being the increased number of chairs and the people sitting in them.  Light blue eyes went directly to the figure laying on the hospital bed.  An oxygen mask covered full lips and a round nose.  Black, yellow, and purple discolorations could be seen all over Garnet’s face and exposed arms.  One half of her black curly hair was still contained in the cornrows, while the other half had been released to cascade as wavy rivers in all directions on her white pillow.  Uncovered eyes were closed, one normal, and one with the now familiar scar running through it.

            “How is she doing?” Pearl spoke up, still not taking her eyes off the sleeping figure.

            Three heads turned to look at her directly.  Pearl swallowed nervously from the weight of their gazes, instantly regretting speaking before assessing who was in the room.  Bismuth sat on Garnet’s left side, her face sporting a few light, hard to see bruises through her dark skin and her right arm resting in a sling.  Grey eyes stared at her with obvious dislike.  The other woman on Garnet’s left side was much shorter and had black curly hair with streaks of silver in it.  She was holding onto Garnet’s left hand, her brown eyes locked on Pearl with a concerned and slightly confused expression.  Holding Garnet’s right hand was another short woman who had long wavy black hair with blue highlights in it.  Pearl couldn’t make out the woman’s expression due to her bangs covering her eyes and her very Garnet-like emotionless mask.  Light blue eyes quickly went back between the two women holding onto Garnet.  Her gut told her that these two women couldn’t be anyone other than Garnet’s mothers.

            “I’m going to leave you here for now, Ms. Meyers, in a half an hour I will be back to take you to your room.  If you want to leave before then you just need to call a nurse in and have them take you back, or you can ask Captain Green to do so,” Nurse Rowley informed.

            “O-ok,” Pearl stammered, not daring to look away from the three women watching her.

            With that, the nurse left and Jasper leaned against one of the walls, a smirk evident in the corner of her mouth.  Thin fingers were drummed together as Pearl stared down at them.

            “How is Garnet doing?” she dared to ask again.

            “Who are you?” came a swift demand from the short woman on the left.

            “I’m Pearl.  Pearl Meyers, I was with Garnet and these two on the operation we were doing,” she answered as she gestured to both Jasper and Bismuth.

            “Is that so?” the woman turned to look up at Bismuth.

            “Yes, Pearl was the one who went into Yellow Diamond’s place with Garnet,” Bismuth answered.

            “Oh.  I guess introductions are only fair.  I’m Ruby Bailey, and this is my wife Sapphire Bailey.  Garnet is our daughter.”

            Ruby and Sapphire, Pearl did remember those names.

            “Nice to meet you,” Pearl bowed her head.

            Sapphire reached up and resumed undoing the cornrows in Garnet’s hair.

            “So are you another cop for Beach City then?  Or were you from Jersey like Bismuth?  Your name sounds familiar,” Ruby continued as she fixed Pearl with an intense gaze.

            “Pearl was the meth cook that Yellow Diamond wanted, so we used her to get in and rescue the two teenagers,” the woman with dreadlocks answered first.

            “You’re a meth cook?” a thick black eyebrow was raised up.

            “ _Was_ a meth cook, I turned down the woman several times which is why she resorted to kidnapping to get me to work for her.  And Garnet was the one who came up with the plan of going undercover with me to get them out,” Pearl growled.

            “Pearl Meyers…” a soft voice spoke up.  “How long have you known Garnet?”

            The pale woman looked up, the voice was coming from Sapphire as she continued to carefully unravel another braid.

            “Several years.  Around seven I think.”

            “How well do you know Garnet?”

            _Fuck…fuck…fucking shit…_

“Quite well actually, we dated,” Pearl coughed, “for a time.”

            Silence followed that statement.  The pale woman dared to look at their faces.  Sapphire seemed unaffected by the admission, Ruby’s eyes were bulging out of their sockets and it looked like steam was about to come out of her ears, and Bismuth had a smile of contempt.

            “So you are Pearl Meyers,” Sapphire spoke first.  “The one who Garnet dated back in Jersey.”

            “Yes.”

            “I see.”

            Ruby’s head rotated slowly to look at her wife, one of her eyes now twitching as her lips strained to contain the anger boiling inside.

            “Sapphire…” came Ruby’s tight voice.

            “We are in a hospital, Ruby, we don’t want to cause a huge disturbance.”

            “Are you serious?!” the curly haired woman began to fume.

            “I just want to know how Garnet is doing,” Pearl spoke up.

            “OH NOW YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW GARNET IS DOING?!  WHERE WERE YOU FIVE YEARS AGO!?” Ruby exploded.

            “I-”

            “GET OUT!”

            “What?!”

            “SHE’S IN THE HOSPITAL BECAUSE OF YOU!”

            Pearl opened her mouth to try and explain.

            “GET OUT AND STAY AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!  SHE’S MUCH BETTER OFF WITHOUT YOU!”  Ruby jumped to her feet and pointed to the door.

            That stung.  Pearl could feel her eyes become watery.

            “Please…” Pearl tried.

            “NO!  LEAVE!”

            Hands gripped the back of the wheelchair and turned her around to head out the door.

            “Let’s go,” Jasper said quietly.

            The thin woman stared at her lap and offered no resistance.  As they exited the room, Pearl heard two more sentences before the door closed.

            “Garnet was dating a meth cook?!” Ruby fumed.

            “I was pretty shocked when I found out too,” came Bismuth’s neutral voice.

            Crying hurt.  Her side moved as her lungs pulled in irregular breaths, causing the bandaged wounds to pulse with fire.  Salty tears ran down her face, fogging her vision and splattering on her hospital gown.  Ruby hadn’t said anything mean, she had just simply stated the truth.  Garnet _was_ better off without her and it was her fault that Garnet was in the hospital.

            _Both times._

Her hand clenched her hospital gown over where her chest was hurting.  It was a harsh realization that no matter how her feelings towards Garnet had changed and grown, Garnet deserved so much better than her.  Garnet deserved someone who wouldn’t put her life in danger, would love her completely, and would give her an equal relationship.

            After reaching Pearl’s room and helping her into her bed, Jasper took her seat and made no comment on what had happened.  Eventually the tears stopped and Pearl laid there staring hopelessly at the ceiling.

 

            Sapphire looked across Garnet’s sleeping form to her wife Ruby who was currently grinding her teeth.  A heavy sigh was pushed past thick lips.  She reached forward and coaxed Ruby’s grip to lessen on Garnet’s hand she was holding.

            “Did you know that?!” Ruby turned on Bismuth.

            “That Pearl was the same Pearl Garnet dated?  Not until I met her in the meeting we were having to decide how to rescue the two kids.”

            “And she has the gall to ask how Garnet is doing?!  This was all her fault!”

            “I doubt Pearl wanted Steven and Amethyst to get kidnapped,” Sapphire commented.

            “Oh so you’re defending her now?!”

            “Ruby,” came Sapphire’s low warning.

            “Why don’t we just invite her back and have tea with her pretending that she never hurt our precious daughter to begin with!  Because hey!  It’s in the past!  No harm done!”

            “I’m just trying to be reasonable about this.  She did come in with the sincere intention to know how Garnet was doing.”

            “And how do you know that?”

            Sapphire frowned at her wife, but didn’t say anything.

            “I don’t want any more people hurting our daughter.  And that woman, Pearl, is sure to only cause more harm.”

            “Don’t crush Garnet’s hand,” came Sapphire’s tense reminder.

            “Gahh!” Ruby exclaimed as she released the limp hand and raised her clawed hands into the air.

            “Next time, we are going to try and be more civil towards Pearl,” Sapphire stated.

            “What?!  I’ve had a whole speech prepared for this!”

            “While it may have been an appropriate speech back then, it may not be the best thing to say now, especially while we are still in the hospital.”

            Ruby grumbled and rested her chin on the edge of the bed.  Sapphire turned to look at the sleeping face of their daughter.  Gently she ran her fingers along Garnet’s cheek.

            “We’ll be here for you whenever you’re ready to wake up, Garnet.”

            A soft kiss was planted on the side of the sleeping woman’s forehead.

            “Yeah,” Ruby added as she carefully took hold of Garnet’s left hand.  “We are always here for you.” 

 

            Amethyst fidgeted with her new phone as she anxiously waited for Steven to arrive at her house.  Freezing wind and snowflakes whirled around her, pushing her silver hair into her face or off to the side.  They were going to the police station to inquire about Garnet and Pearl.  The sight of the white van with the “Mr. Universe” custom paint job plowing through the layer of slush and fresh powder on the street sent a smile onto Amethyst’s face.  She rushed over and met Steven as he was opening the side sliding door.

            “Amethyst!” he exclaimed.

            “Sup little buddy!” she grinned as she ruffled his hair.  “How are you doing?  Good to be back in your own bed?”

            “Yeah…though…” he shuffled his feet.  “I miss getting to say goodnight to you.  And…seeing that you’re ok…”  The last sentence was spoken very quietly.

            “What was that?”

            “Nothing, I’m just relieved to see you,” he smiled.

            “I am too, my bed was nice, missed saying goodnight to you as well.”

            “Hey Amethyst!” Greg greeted as he waved to her from the driver’s seat.  “You two ready to head on over?  It’s pretty cold outside so I’d figured I could give you two a ride.”

            “Road trip!” Steven cheered.

            “Ok,” Amethyst chuckled.  “Road trip to the police station.”

            The teen hopped in, once the door was shut and seatbelts were buckled, Greg began the short drive over to the familiar building.  When they arrived, they rushed in trying to get out of the freezing weather and into the warm building as quickly as possible.  Amethyst peered around at the officers busy with their tasks.  Sugilite was typing away on her computer, no doubt doing some serious paperwork for all the things that had happened almost two days ago.  They approached the unmanned front desk, waiting a few moments for someone to notice them.

            “Hey kiddos!  And Greg,” Sugilite grinned as she spotted them out of the corner of her eyes.  “What can I do for ya?” she asked as she walked over, her heavy boots thumping against the floor.

            “We were wondering if you had any information on Pearl and Garnet?” Steven asked.

            “Hmm, let me see,” she tapped her chin.  “Actually, you’re in luck!  Captain Jasper left a message for you two earlier today.  Sorry Greg, if you hear it I gotta kill ya.”

            “Uh…what?” Greg nervously scratched the back of his head.

            “I’m just kidding!” Sugilite laughed.  “But keep this between us right now, ok?”

            “We will!” Steven promised.

            “Ok…” the large officer said with dramatized hesitation.  “This is Jasper’s message. ‘Rescued Captain Square and Party Hat with the assistance of Rainbow Hair.  Currently at a hospital north of you.  Rainbow Hair and I in fairly good condition.  Captain Square and Party Hat both need some recovery time.  Will contact later with another update.’.  And that’s it.”

            “Wait…” Amethyst squinted her eyes, “Who?”

            “Captain Square!” Steven grinned as his hands made a box shape around his head.  “Like Garnet’s hair!”

            “Ohhh, and Party Hat must be Pearl because of her nose?  Pfft, I gotta use that later when we see her again.”

            “Your guess is as good as mine,” Greg shrugged.

            “And Rainbow Hair is Bismuth, the officer that helped you all escape a couple of days ago,” Sugilite supplied.

            “So can we have the address to the hospital they’re staying in?  I’d personally like to see that they’re ok,” Amethyst requested.

            Sugilite shook her head.  “No can do.  Even if I did have that information, I wouldn’t be sharing it.  Yellow Diamond is still at large and could go after Pearl or Garnet.  I’m sure they will be heading back to Beach City once they are well enough to travel.”

            “Awww,” Steven pouted.  “You sure you can’t tell us?”

            “Positive, like I said, I got no address.”

            “Well, maybe you two can leave a message for Jasper to pass on?” Greg suggested.

            The two teens exchanged a hopeful glance.

            “I can do that,” Sugilite grinned.  “You got 140 characters and you have to write it out in Morse code.”

            “What?!”

            The large curvy officer threw her head back and laughed.  “I’m just teasin’, but don’t make it super long.”

            Steven placed his chin in his hand and held up that arm with the other as he paced around brainstorming what to say.

            “How about, ‘Hi Captain Square and Party Hat.’?” Amethyst began with a shrug.

            “‘Thank you for saving us from the giant foot!’,” Steven added.

            At first the silver blonde made a face, but then smirked, eager to continue with his creative ideas.

            “‘We are very saddened to hear of your extended stay at the swankiest resort hotel there ever was.’,” Amethyst continued with eloquence.

            “‘It is our hope to see you both soon and that we may enjoy a feast of…’,” Steven looked to Amethyst for ideas.

            “Tortas!”

            “‘Together’,” the young boy finished.

            Sugilite and Greg stood there for a moment, waiting for the punchline.  The two teens looked at the large woman expectantly.

            “Alright!” she said with some hesitation.  “Say it slower this time so I make sure I got it right.”

            Once the message was written down the three headed back to Steven’s house for some hot chocolate with marshmallows.  Amethyst stared down into her mug and watched the steamy brown liquid slowly dissolve the puffed sugar.  Next to her Steven stirred his drink with a peppermint stick, expertly mixing the minty flavor with the marshmallows and chocolate.  A frown slipped onto the older teen’s face.  This felt like a dream, but she knew it was real.  After two months, they were back with their families in Beach City.  There were slight differences; she wasn’t used to the constant monitoring of the police from a discrete distance or the special treatment from friends, family, and acquaintances.  Violet eyes caught Steven’s serious face.

            “Hey buddy,” she nudged him with her elbow.  “You ok there?”

            “Yeah…just thinking, that’s all.”

            “‘Bout what?”

            He hesitated, briefly sucking on his peppermint stick before stirring the warm liquid.

            “About what Yellow Diamond told me.  About my mom.”

            Amethyst breathed out heavily.  That was one thing that had happened a few times.  Yellow Diamond would come into their room and mostly talk to Steven, asking him questions and then would always manage to weave the conversation so ‘stories’ about Rose were being told.

            “Do you think she was lying?” he asked, a slight crack in his voice.  “She wasn’t like that.  From everything my Dad and Pearl have told me.  There’s no way!”

            Violet eyes looked down at her cooling chocolate drink, now void of marshmallows.  A wide hand grabbed a handful more and threw them in.

            “We didn’t know Pearl could cook meth, or that she was in a gang.  Yellow Diamond was right about that.  Pearl knows Yellow Diamond, and cooked meth for her.  I know it sounds pretty horrible, but considering what we learned about Pearl being true, would it be too much of a stretch if the things about your Mom were also true?”

            Steven’s frown deepened as he stared into his mug.

            Amethyst sighed.  “Have you thought about asking your Dad?  He must know something.  Or we can wait for Pearl to get back and ask her.”

            “I guess so,” the teenage boy wearily agreed.  “I don’t really want to believe those things about Pearl either,” he added after a couple of moments of silence.

            “Yeah…I mean we knew she wasn’t the most outstanding citizen, so it shouldn’t be that much of a shocker,” Amethyst tried to brush off.

            “But she was a criminal!  She made drugs, broke laws, and hurt people.”

            “She doesn’t do that anymore, she’s worked hard to try and change.  Or at least avoid going back to old habits.”

            Steven shrugged and sipped on his drink.  “The whole kidnapping was bad enough without having to hear stories about the Rose Thorns and their leader Rose.”

            Amethyst hummed in agreement.  The two sat there for a couple of minutes just drinking their hot chocolate and watching the snow fall down.

            “Hey,” the silver haired teen said as she nudged him again.  “I’m here.  We’re both home and we’ve got each other’s backs.  We stick together ok?”

            “Yeah,” a small smile brightened up his face.  “Want to stay over for a sleepover?”

            “Sounds like a great idea, though I was going to hang out at Peri’s house tonight, gotta catch up on homework…”

            “No problem!  Let’s invite her over too!”

            “Really?”

            “Yeah!  My Dad should have no issue with that.”

            “I’ll raise my mug to that,” Amethyst grinned.

            Steven chuckled and gently tapped his mug against Amethyst’s.

 

            Sapphire felt the twitch of Garnet’s hand in hers.  Immediately, she looked up from the book she was reading to watch her daughter’s resting form.  Garnet’s chest was rising and falling at a quicker rate. The digital numbers displaying her heart rate on a monitor were steadily increasing.  Sapphire put down her book and held onto the large hand with both of hers.  The hand weakly grasped hers back.  Silent tears ran from her blue and faded blue eyes.  Another deep breath.  Eyes opened up for a moment before closing.  The mother held her breath, not glancing away for a moment, her ears tuning out any sound that wasn’t coming from her awakening daughter.  One brown and one cracked eye opened up again, blinking once.  The hand holding onto hers relaxed.  Sapphire instinctively held on tighter.

            “Garnet?” came the soft whisper.

            Eyes blinked again, glanced over at her, then looked ahead off into space.  They were tired and empty.

            “Garnet?  Sweetie.”

            Words left her mouth, she didn’t know what else to say, or how to express just how relieved and happy she was to see her daughter open her eyes.  Garnet’s currently unoccupied left hand reached up and removed the oxygen mask.  Sapphire’s hand was lifted up so chapped, thick lips could place a soft kiss against the back of her hand.  The mother stood up and hugged Garnet, pressing the side of her face against her daughter’s.

            “I love you.  I love you.  I love you,” she shakily breathed out, her tears dripping onto Garnet’s hospital gown.  “I’m so happy you’re safe.”

            No movement was made on the younger woman’s side to return the gesture.  Sapphire sat back down, slightly hurt, but completely understanding that it might be too much for Garnet to handle right now.  Eyes continued to just stare straight ahead, just as lifeless as when they first opened.  Ruby and Bismuth arrived within minutes of Garnet waking up, along with the nurse.  The woman with long wavy hair watched with growing despair as her precious daughter didn’t respond to any of the questions asked of her and would only briefly look from one person to the next before just staring off into space.  Sapphire’s only solace came from the fact that Garnet had not let go of hers or Ruby’s hands.  They would be patient, they would be understanding.  It was only Garnet’s first day of being awake after sleeping for nearly three days.  She needed time to recover and they were going to give her as much as she needed.

            _We love you and are here for you Garnet.  You are not alone._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jasper totally deserves a huge thank you for all she did. Maybe a dozen or two dozen balloons? Same goes for Bismuth and Sugilite.  
> And yes Yellow Diamond told stories about Rose to Steven.  
> Garnet is not well, you will find out next week why.


	31. Trauma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An early release! Due to one of my awesome reader's important day!  
> Get ready for a roller coaster of emotions in this one as we learn just what is going on with Garnet.

^^^^^^

Garnet is unable to discern what is reality and what is a nightmare until a friend steps in to help.

^^^^^^

 

            Eyes opened to an unfamiliar room, a place she did not remember getting to.  Everything looked as if it was covered in a dreamy haze, yet the hand holding onto hers felt so real.  Garnet spared a glance to the right, afraid of who would be there.  Familiar long wavy hair, a soft soothing voice, and rich dark skin streaked with fresh tears.  Garnet’s heart clenched.

            _It can’t be…_

It seemed so real, so plausible that she was far away from that horrid place.  Sapphire held her and whispered loving words to her.  The injured woman didn’t know how to react.  Before long Ruby and Bismuth appeared, both extremely happy and relieved for her awakening.  Garnet was afraid to speak, afraid that anything she might do would break the spell and she would wake up from this dream.  They asked her questions, a nurse checked her charts and her vitals.  Water and basic food was offered.  All of it went unheeded.  It seemed too good to be true that they had escaped.  They had been vastly outnumbered and outsmarted, there was no way they could have.

 

            Garnet snapped awake, her body jerking against the numerous, thin, plastic restraints tying her to the cold unforgiving chair.

            “Did you really think you could escape?” the cold, cruel voice taunted her from the side.

            Yellow Diamond walked in front of her, the two cubes jumbling around in her left hand.

            “What a pathetic attempt,” she continued.  “Did you honestly think you, could outsmart me?  I’ve known since day one who you were and you’ve only gotten as far as you did because I let you.”

            The Drug Lord stepped closer, her hand reaching out to grasp Garnet’s injured shoulder; the thumb digging into the fresh bullet wound.  Searing pain raced down her arm and shoulder.  Garnet cried out in pain as she tried to pull away.  Yellow Diamond just grinned down at her and increased the pressure.  Blood oozed from the wound, coating her arm in a new layer of the substance and staining the woman’s hand.  The clatter of the cubes against the concrete made Garnet’s heart stop.

            “9,” came the amused announcement.

            Bloodied fingers were pulled away from her wound and moved towards her face.  Garnet attempted to turn away, but she couldn’t, she was trapped.  Thick, warm, crimson liquid was smeared across her sharp cheekbones and jawline. 

            “Let’s see how long you last this time,” Yellow Diamond smirked.

            Five short figures approached her from the shadows of the whitewashed room.  Their matching grins and excitement for the opportunity made her gut sink.  The first fist felt like being hit with a brick, the second left her breathless, the third caused her to cry out, the fourth blurred together with the fifth.  She endured the beating until she lost consciousness.

 

            It was a cruel, twisted mental torture.  Garnet had lost count of how many times she had fallen asleep and seen the faces of her mothers, Bismuth, Amethyst, and Steven.  They would congratulate her on the success of the mission, or they would gather together and spend some time playing games and eating delicious food.  Occasionally, Pearl would appear to join in on the festivities.  The newer dreams of waking up in a hospital surrounded by her loved ones were just as horrible.  It seemed so real, even the pain she was in from the beatings she had taken could be felt.  They were all so concerned and understanding, telling her how proud they were and that they would be there to help her heal.  She didn’t want to break their hearts and tell them that they were just part of another dream.  Maybe for this brief amount of time she could pretend that she had escaped and they had succeeded in their mission.  As the lights in her room were dimmed, her family left, and her eyes drifted close, Garnet knew it was time to wake up and resume her fight for survival.

 

            “Pathetic,” the dreaded voice called out to her.

            Ice cold water splashed onto her face, shocking her body and jerking her awake.  Lungs constricted forcing her to gasp for breath.  Uncovered eyes darted around yet another unfamiliar room, finally spotting Yellow Diamond as the woman towered over her.

            “Couldn’t even walk up a few flights of stairs by yourself.”

            The Drug Lord crouched down, grabbed her chin, and forced her to look sideways at a mattress set on the ground with basic pillows and blankets.

            “That’s your bed, if you can crawl over to it, then you can sleep on it.  Otherwise, you can just sleep here on the floor.”

            Her head was jerked back so she was facing the intimidating woman.

            “I’ll be watching you.  No more mess-ups, no more rebellions.  If you want to live, you have to obey me.  I can make your life a living hell or I can make it the closest thing to paradise.  Which one becomes reality is all up to you.”

            The hand was pulled back and reached into a pocket of the yellow suit jacket Yellow Diamond was wearing.  A black die with yellow diamond symbols was held closely to her face.

            “The only time I want to be rolling this for you, is to decide one of the many rewards to bestow upon you.  I don’t want to have to roll it to decide your next punishment.”

            In a flash the die was gone and replaced with one that was the inverse.

            “I roll this, and you die.  Do you understand?”

            Garnet numbly nodded.

            “Good.”

            With that the woman stood up and left the room.  Garnet tried to make a movement towards the bed, but her weak body barely rolled onto her side before losing strength and falling back.  Eyes closed.  She was so tired and beaten, she didn’t care if she just slept on the floor.  Tomorrow she would try to make it onto the bed.

 

            It was back again, the hospital dream.  This time she answered a couple of the questions the nurse asked, and tried making small talk with her loved ones.  Bismuth related a basic version of the story on how she and Jasper got Garnet and Pearl out.  Ruby went through a range of emotions as she listened to the tale while Sapphire silently took it in.  The woman with dreadlocks explained how she got stabbed and showed Garnet her stitches.  Garnet politely commented that it would make a cool battle scar in a couple of months.  Bismuth’s rich laughter lightened the room.  A smile almost appeared on Garnet’s face.

            _This is just a dream._

Hands gripped her bedsheets tighter.

            _This isn’t real._

Uncovered eyes looked down at her hands and arms, bruises discoloring her typically even skin tone.  Bismuth put the bandage back over her stitches and put her arm in its sling.  Another attempt at small talk or questions on how Garnet was doing nearly broke her down.  She would have to tell them eventually that they were just part of a dream.  When their words became filled with concern on her depressed mood, she just brushed them off saying that she was tired.  A recommendation to get some rest followed.  That was the last thing Garnet wanted to do.  Every time she went to sleep here, she woke back up in reality.  Dinner arrived and this time she tried to eat some of the pudding and simple grains that were offered to her.  All of it tasted like flavorless mush that was pushed around in her mouth for fifteen seconds before it was forcibly swallowed.  Perhaps she could dream up a better dinner next time, but she doubted that she would have an appetite anyway.  A quick knock preceded the door opening and two familiar individuals walking into the room.  Mismatched eyes widened in surprise as they saw the pale woman walk in wearing her typical clothes followed by the muscular frame of Jasper Green.  Eyebrows knitted in confusion.  Why was Jasper here and why was her nose bandaged?

            “What are you doing in here?” Ruby growled at Pearl.

            The thin woman quickly raised up her hands in surrender.

            “I-I’m being discharged today, I heard that Garnet was awake and I wanted to see her before we left.”

            “How did you find out?” Ruby continued.

            “I told her, now let her say her piece so I can get the fuck out of here.  Lapis told me she’s going to quit if I don’t show back up to do my job,” Jasper growled as she nudged Pearl forward.

            “Hey!” came the weak snarl.

            Tired light blue eyes with dark bags under them looked into hers.  Garnet set down her scoop of mush.

            “You’re here,” came her statement.

            “Yeah,” Pearl shrugged and looked off to the side.  “I got hurt too, doctors told me I couldn’t leave until I stopped shitting blood.”

            “What?  When?”

            This was new, Yellow Diamond wouldn’t hurt Pearl.

            “While we were escaping, I got into a gun fight with that gang of short sisters.  Blasted a couple of holes in my side.”

            Mismatched eyes stared at Pearl’s side.  The pale woman lifted her arm partially to display the charred slots cut out of her leather jacket and shirt.  White bandages could be seen underneath.

            “Do you remember?  You were conscious at that time,” Pearl asked.

            “N-no.  I-I don’t.”

            Fists clenched and trembled slightly.

            “I-I don’t remember anything,” Garnet paused.  “Nothing about our ‘escape’ or these injuries, or even how or when you got here,” she motioned to Jasper.

            Jasper huffed and folded her arms across her chest.  Everyone around her traded worried glances except for Pearl who kept on looking right at her.  Garnet took a deep breath as her composure fractured.

            “This-this isn’t-this isn’t real!”

            The exclamation silenced the room.

            “This,” Garnet gestured to the room, “You,” she motioned to everyone around her, “It’s just a dream.”

            “Garnet-” Ruby softly began.

            “NO!”

            Hands grabbed fistfuls of her hair.  Her afro was loose, no longer in its cornrows, yet another piece of evidence that this wasn’t real.

            “There was no way we could have escaped!  Yellow Diamond knew from the beginning who I was!  I walked us right into a trap with my stupid plan!  She had us pinned down, watched, beaten, she’s-” Garnet’s words were cut off as her mind recalled the feeling of Yellow Diamond’s hands assaulting her.  “You’re all just part of a dream,” she almost sobbed.

            No one knew what to say following her outburst.

            “Garnet,” Pearl spoke up first.

            “When we wake up,” the injured woman’s voice cracked, “We’re just going to be right were we’ve been.”

            “No,” Pearl whispered.  “No,” she repeated as she quickly walked to the side of Garnet’s bed and clutched Garnet’s left hand between her smaller and colder ones.  “This did happen.  We escaped.  Jasper is here, Bismuth and her worked together to grab you, then me, and then we did get out of there.  As impossible as it seems, it did happen Garnet.  We are free.”

            Garnet just slowly shook her head as hot salty tears rolled down her cheeks.   Tears began to fall from light blue eyes as Pearl held on tighter.

            “Do you even remember what I said when I found you?”

            “No.”

            “What is the last thing you do remember?”

            “I was tied…to a chair…and Yellow Diamond-”

            Garnet couldn’t finish her sentence, she didn’t want to verbalize it.  Pearl leaned forward and held Garnet.

            “I told you I wouldn’t leave you.  Then I got you out of the chair and asked you to walk with me.  And you did.  We got out, then got sidetracked with Yellow Diamond finding us again, but then Jasper and Bismuth came and rescued us.  Please Garnet, believe me when I say that we are free.”

            Through her tears, Garnet breathed out heavily.

            “I can’t,” came her hoarse whisper.

            Pearl sobbed.  “Then remember when you wake up that I’ll be there with you, because I won’t leave you again.”

            Garnet closed her eyes and rested her head against her pillow.  Pearl’s hands left hers.

            “Well, if you’re staying Pearl, then I’m leaving,” Jasper announced.  “Lapis is going to get really pissed if I don’t come back today, so you have to figure out your own ride now.  And I’m putting you in charge of relaying the message from Steven and Amethyst ok?”

            “I will, thank you Jasper, for everything,” the pale woman’s voice came from the side.

            “Yeah, yeah, and Bismuth, don’t you forget to get your SUV, if it’s still there.”

            “Right, I won’t,” was the strong woman’s reply.

            “Ok!  Good-bye, I’ll see you all back in Beach City whenever!”

            With that the sound of the door shutting firmly echoed in the room.  Garnet lay against her bed regretting breaking the spell.  For an indiscernible amount of time the remaining occupants in the room were silent.  Eventually hushed chatter weaved between two of them.  As Garnet’s mind began to fade away, she knew it was time to wake up once again.

 

            Her body was so cold.  A thin layer of snow was forming on her limp sitting form.  Snowflakes softly danced towards the ground in the cloudy night sky.  Gunshots cracked through the air and red flakes splattered onto the pristine white substance.  The shadowed, thin figure standing in front of her fell to the ground.

            Suddenly she was running, her body full of adrenaline as her booted feet stumbled slightly through the two inches of snow on the flat ground.  Furious snowflakes whirled around her as her covered eyes darted around, trying to find what she was running from.  All she could see was the black sky and the white snow.  Garnet turned and ran in a random direction, panting heavily as her tired body tried to maintain a sprint.  Yellow Diamond materialized out of the darkness right in front of the dark woman with a grin on her face and a gun leveled with the athletic woman’s face.  Garnet skidded to a stop and reached for her gun, only to find she didn’t have it.  A pop echoed through the night.  Garnet’s head was violently snapped back and she was knocked off her feet by the force that hit her in the middle of her forehead.  Her back hit the hard, snow covered concrete with a dull thud, effectively knocking the wind out of her lungs.  Garnet gasped for air as she helplessly watched five jumbled duplicates of Yellow Diamond walk to stand over her through badly cracked sunglasses.  The sadistic grin of the Drug Lord grew as she expertly flicked out a folding, combat knife.  She crouched down, pressing her knee on Garnet’s stomach and resting her full body weight against it.  The dazed woman grunted and tried in vain to push her off.  Hands grabbed either lapel of her plaid, button up shirt and tore it open, popping several buttons off and exposing the top of her chest.  Panic surged through her body and she began to thrash, punch, anything to try and defend herself.  A swift backhand made her taste copper.  One arm was pinned to the ground and Garnet watched in horror as the black curved point of the blade began to dig into her soft flesh.

           

            Garnet breathed in sharply and looked around where she was standing.  There wasn’t any snow, there was no Yellow Diamond, just soft pink and yellow light bathing the scene and a mirror-like ground under her feet.  She looked down at her chest, feeling for the diamond that surely had to have been carved there, but all she saw and felt was her smooth skin and one of her high school track and field tank tops.

            “There you are!” A voice called out to her.  “What took you so long?”

            Brown eyes looked to her left and grew wide as she saw who was walking towards her.  Lanky dark brown legs, short torso, equally long and thin arms, a teasing smile, hazel eyes, and midnight, side-swept, box braided hair with gold beads that fell to the middle of her back.  All words died on Garnet’s tongue, she couldn’t believe her eyes.

            “You just goin’ to stand there like a fish gaspin’ for air or are you gonna say hi to me?” came the friendly tease.

            “Cherise,” Garnet breathed out.

            “Hell yeah!  That’s me!” Cherise grinned as she threw her arms out to the sides.

            Garnet rushed forward and hugged the slightly shorter teenager.  She laughed and picked Cherise up, spinning her around a couple of times before setting her back down.

            “Ya miss me?” Cherise laughed.

            Garnet just widely smiled.

            “Well don’t be late next time!” the skinny teenager playfully scolded as she lightly shoved Garnet’s shoulder.

            “I won’t.”

            “Good.  Now, you ready to tear up the concrete?”

            “You know I am,” Garnet flexed her arms and legs; the lean muscles rippling underneath exposed skin.

            Buildings, streets, traffic, and people of Jersey appeared around them as if rising from the mirror-like ground.

            “Step right up!  Who of you think you can win in a simple contest of speed?  One dash to the other street corner and back.  Easy if I do say so myself.  No tricks just a simple test of one’s speed against this fiiine athlete,” Cherise called out to the crowd of people walking around them.  “You sir!” she directed to one man who was close by.  “You look like you are in prime physical fitness, think you could beat this athlete in a simple contest of speed?”

            Garnet struck a confident pose and flexed again.

            “Well I-” he stuttered, surprised and flattered at the same time.

            “It’s just a short dash to the corner of 15th and back.  Twenty bucks says you can’t.  But if you do…” with flourish a twenty-dollar bill was pulled from Cherise’s back pocket and presented.  “this will be yours.”

            “Why not?” he shrugged.

            “You ready then?”

            “Yeah,” the fit looking man nodded.

            “On your marks!” Cherise called out.

            Garnet and the man lined up behind a division in the concrete.

            “Get set!”

            Both tensed, ready to spring into action.

            “GO!”

            Garnet shot forward, wind pushing against her body.  She effortlessly weaved through all of the pedestrians on the sidewalk.  Exclamations came at them from several directions, but she didn’t heed any of them.  Converse shoes screeched as her direction was suddenly changed as she dashed back towards where Cherise was standing.  Garnet smirked as she listened for her opponent’s rapid footfalls.  He was several feet behind her.  In seconds, she crossed the finish line and was declared the winner.  The man, while out of breath and disappointed in the loss, surrendered his own twenty-dollar bill and quickly returned to his previous route.

            Cherise and Garnet pounded fists.  With Garnet’s winnings, the two bought a pizza and some sport drinks.  They then retreated to one of their favorite places to hang out and enjoy their spoils.  Long, lean, muscular legs swung back and forth as they hung over a low concrete wall.  Garnet tipped her head back and took a long sip of her lemon-lime drink.  Cherise reached up for another slice of the deep dish everything pizza from where she was sitting on the ground leaning against the low wall.

            “Your moms know you’re eating dinner with me tonight?”

            “Yeah, I sent them a text, they just said have fun, be safe, and don’t get into trouble.”

            “What?!  Trouble?  Since when has that ever happened?” Cherise dramatically countered.

            Garnet laughed.  The two best friends continued to eat their meal in silence with an occasional joke or thought thrown back and forth.  As the sun was setting in the distance Garnet smiled with content.  She had missed this.  Cherise jumped up onto the concrete wall and sat next to the other teen.  A soft, almost sad smile graced her thick lips.

            “You know this isn’t real, right?” Cherise spoke up.

            Brown eyes darted to the side at her friend, widening in surprise.  Slowly they were lowered as Garnet looked down as her right thigh that was barely covered with running shorts.  The lack of the round sunken scar and covering tattoos only adding to the statement.

            “Yes,” Garnet painfully admitted.  “You’re dead.”

            Cherise nodded.  The infrastructure and population of Jersey melted away to the pink and yellow atmosphere with the mirror-like ground.  Garnet felt her body change as part of her vision disappeared.

            “You really filled out,” came the wistful chuckle as Cherise looked her over.

            Garnet looked down at her calloused hands, defined muscles, and the tattooed stars wrapping around her right thigh.

            “And here I was thinking you’d only have muscles in your legs,” the skinny teen teased as she felt Garnet’s firm biceps and deltoids.

            “I needed these to do my job,” Garnet explained with a half-smile.

            “Yeah, you became a cop of all things.”

            “I didn’t want what happened to you to repeat itself.”  Tears pricked at Garnet’s eyes.  “I didn’t want anyone else to have to go through what I, and the dozens of other people that loved you, did. Not at least while I could be there to prevent it.”

            “I know,” Cherise smiled.

            “Why?” Garnet trailed off as she gestured to the area around them.

            “You needed a little help realizing that this world is fake.”

            “But it feels so real, everything that Yellow Diamond does-” she didn’t finish her sentence.

            “Those are memories mixed in with some good ol’ fashioned nightmare fuel.  You were hurt really bad and as a result you don’t remember everything that happened.  Things might come back to you, they may not, but know that when you wake up this time, that’s the real world.”

            Garnet nodded, tears running down her cheeks.  Cherise pulled Garnet in for a tight hug, her thin body feeling so much smaller in Garnet’s strong arms.

            “Thank you,” the taller woman whispered.

            “Always.”

            “This means good-bye, doesn’t it?”

            “This time I _get_ to say good-bye to you, Garnet,” Cherise corrected.

            “Right,” the woman laughed through her tears.

            “I’m glad I got to have one last hurrah with you.”

            “Just like old times.” Garnet held on tighter, wishing that this didn’t have to end.

            “I love you, Garnet.”

            “I love you, Cherise.”

            Cherise and the world began to fade away.

            “Good-bye, Garnet.”

            “Good-bye, Cherise,” Garnet’s voice echoed in the void.

 

            The same hospital room came into view when Garnet opened her eyes.

            _“When you wake up this time, that’s the real world.”_

Cherise’s words echoed in her mind.  Trembling hands wiped away the tears that had been running down her square cheeks.

_This is reality.  We really did escape._

            She glanced around the dark and empty room and breathed out a sigh of relief.  It would be easier to adjust to that fact with no one here.  Garnet pushed herself into a sitting position, wincing in the process.  Carefully, she swung her legs off the bed and rested her bare feet on the cold floor.  With a deep breath, she stood up.  Garnet steadied herself and examined all the tubes and wires attached to her.  IVs, heart rate monitor, and a catheter.  She was not looking forward to when they were going to pull that out.  Tentatively, a bare foot took one step towards the mirror set above the small sink.  In three more successful steps, hands were able to grasp the porcelain sink.  Garnet took one glance at herself in the mirror and instantly regretted it.  Even with the dim lighting not highlighting all the details of her injuries, she looked really bad.  Bruises and cuts could heal, but her eyes had a haunted look to them.

            _I am haunted.  Haunted by that place and Yellow Diamond._

Voices could barely be heard before the door was slowly opened.  In walked Sapphire with Ruby just behind her.  The delicious scent of hot hamburgers and fries wafted into her nostrils.  Sapphire paused in the doorway when she noticed that her daughter was up and standing.  Garnet turned to face them fully.  Bismuth and Pearl could be seen standing behind her mothers.

            “Hello,” she greeted them, her monotone making it seem awkward.

            Sapphire took one step further into the room so everyone could file in behind her.

            “Hello Garnet,” the serene woman replied.

            “Good to see you up!” Ruby grinned.

            “You hungry?  We got you a meal in case you were,” Bismuth added as she lifted up a bag of fast food.

            Half of a smile formed on Garnet’s cut lips. 

            “Glad you’re awake,” Pearl quickly spoke before looking at the ground and shuffling over to a chair.

An eyebrow was raised at the pale woman’s abrupt behavior.

            “We got you some new clothes and a pair of sunglasses for you to wear until you get home and can get one of your really cool ones.”

            “Oh, thanks.”

            Garnet made her way back to the bed, waving off both Bismuth’s and Ruby’s attempts to help her.  She settled back in as Bismuth began passing around the food.  Sapphire had three small hamburgers and an ice cream dessert.  Ruby had a large hamburger with a medium container of fries and a shake.  Bismuth had a chicken sandwich with bacon, a small container of fries, and a soda.  Pearl nibbled on her large container of fries as a cup of fruit was balanced on the knee of her leg that was crossed over the other.  A cup of ice water was placed on a napkin set on the floor.  Lastly, Bismuth placed a medium sized hamburger, a medium fry, and a soda on the rolling tray set next to the hospital bed.  The smells were definitely tempting her to test out the waters.  She grabbed a fry, ate it slowly, and waited for any immediate rejection.  There was none, so she kept on carefully eating; glancing around the room to help her maintain the pace.  Garnet narrowed her eyes when she noticed that there were traces of blood and swelling on Pearl’s face.

            “Is that new?” she asked without any context.

            “What?” three of the four of her visitors asked.

            “Uh-Pearl,” Garnet gestured to her face, “Is that new?  Or is it old?”

            Ruby paused mid chew and Pearl shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

            “It’s new,” Pearl grumbled.

            “How’d you get it?”

            Ruby swallowed and took a quick sip of her shake.  Bismuth and Sapphire watched the interaction from the sidelines.

            “Ruby and I had a disagreement when we were buying your clothes.  I was in the opinion that your bra size was this and Ruby thought it was that, and then I made the mistake of saying that I knew your size because of…well…because we’ve done intimate things…a lot…in the past.”

            For some reason that struck Garnet as really hilarious.  She could easily see in her mind’s eye Ruby getting heated and clocking Pearl right in the mouth.  One stifled giggle slipped past her lips, quickly followed by another and another.  Everyone just stared at her surprised.

            “So, she punched you?” Garnet said between light fits.

            “Yes.”

            “For arguing with her on my bra size and using our past intimacy as your back up?”

            “Yes,” Pearl frowned, obviously not finding it as funny as Garnet was.  “I did add that we had been doing each other’s laundry these past two months so I’ve seen your bras recently, but that was after your mother had punched me.”

            “Yeah I did,” Ruby puffed her chest out, not a trace of regret in her voice.

            “Of all the things, you got punched over my bra size?” Garnet wheezed.

            “I know right?!  Of all the other things she could punch me for, that was the one!”

            “Oh I have no issues punching you for everything else you did to my daughter.”

            “No punching in the hospital,” Sapphire laid out.

            Ruby frowned and went back to her dinner.

            “So, what size did you get me?”

            “We ended up buying both Ruby’s and Pearl’s recommendations,” Bismuth explained.

            “Oh, well I’ll have to try ‘em on some time and let you know which fits better.”

            “I’m positive mine is right,” Pearl stated.

            “And so am I!” Ruby fired back.

            “Garnet,” Sapphire spoke up, “How are you doing?  You seem to be in much better spirits than before.”

            The daughter looked down at her partially eaten container of fries and sighed.

            “This is real.  I know that now,” she paused.  “I-I may not remember, but everything I was seeing were just nightmares…and memories.”

            Silence followed for a moment after her conclusion.

            “Welcome back, Garnet,” Bismuth smiled.  “I know I can speak for everyone when I say that we are relieved to hear that.”

            Garnet halfway smiled.  “Will you tell me everything that happened?  How we escaped?  Where Steven and Amethyst are and how they are doing?”

            “Of course,” the woman with dreadlocks agreed.  “Pearl should probably start off and then I can take it from there.”

            “Thank you.”

            “Garnet?”

            The woman in the hospital bed turned to face her mother Sapphire.

            “I love you,” she tearfully smiled as she pressed a kiss to her cheek.

            “And I love you too,” Ruby followed, kissing Garnet on the other cheek.

            “I love you both,” she said as she pulled them in for a hug.

            Bismuth gave her a thumbs up and a wink while Pearl simply smiled. 

            “Well I guess I should start off by giving you the message Amethyst and Steven sent to us,” Pearl began.

            “Oh?  And what is it?”

            The pale woman cleared her throat as she pulled out a worn piece of paper.  “‘Hi Captain Square and Party Hat.  Thank you for saving us from the giant foot!  We are very saddened to hear of your extended stay at the swankiest resort hotel there ever was.  It is our hope to see you both soon and that we may enjoy a feast of tortas together.  Sincerely The Star and Purple Puma.’”

            Garnet chuckled as she quickly wiped away a stray tear.  “That definitely came from those two, I’m so glad they’re doing ok.  Thanks Bismuth for getting them back home.”

            Bismuth shrugged and smirked.  “I’d do it again.  Sugilite was the one who drove them most of the way actually.”

            “I’ll have to thank her,” Garnet nodded, “Thanks for giving me the message Pearl, I’m ready whenever you are to retell what happened.”

            “You’re welcome,” Pearl blushed lightly.  “And yes, I’m ready.”

            The whole story was retold, this time, Garnet was able to absorb what she was hearing as fact.  It wasn’t long until the doctor dropped by to check up on her and inform her of the planned schedule to release her.  If she continued to improve, they would only keep her here one more day before sending her home.  The news was received with mixed emotions.  Garnet certainly wanted to get out of the hospital, but then that would mean pushing forward and getting herself back to being able to function normally.  She was reassured that she would be given the time she needed to heal both physically and mentally.

            The next day went better than the last for her, physically.  She was back to eating full meals and walking around without much concern.  Her urine samples were clean, and her concussion symptoms were slowly fading away.  As a result, Dr. Williams cleared her for discharge the coming morning.  However, mentally she was still struggling.  Wanting to fall asleep and remaining asleep being the most difficult things for her right now.  All that waited for her in the dreamscape were more horrors with Yellow Diamond and other significant individuals from the Drug Lord’s gang.  Horrors that would seep into her mind even when she was awake, leaving her paranoid, haunted, and exhausted.  Dr. Williams more or less shrugged it off and prescribed her some sedatives to help her fall asleep and stay asleep.  Garnet didn’t like taking them, but she did need her rest.  With the news of Garnet’s upcoming release, Bismuth and Pearl took a bus up to Empire City to see if Bismuth’s SUV was where she had parked it almost a week ago.  Their return had been surprisingly successful, Bismuth’s SUV was still there, while in bad shape from all the bullets it took.  The woman with dreadlocks just laughed it off and said she could fix it back up.  Pearl mentioned her car mechanic skills and offered to help out if Bismuth ever needed it.  Garnet was happy to see Pearl and Bismuth getting along better, it helped to ease the tension that was prevalent whenever Pearl was in the same room as Ruby and Sapphire.  Not to say that Pearl and Bismuth didn’t have their tense moments anymore.  Garnet could tell that eventually more questions were going to be arising concerning her and Pearl’s past and present relationships.  Covered eyes narrowed as fingers worked to button up the red and black flannel shirt that had been bought for her.  She didn’t know how she felt about Pearl right now.  They had certainly become more accustomed to being around each other and crossing physical boundaries, but how much of that was just for comfort in the dire circumstance and how much of it was genuine?  Garnet grumbled when she reached the top of her shirt and realized she was one button off.  Hands worked back down the shirt.  A quick knock on the door made Garnet turn to her back to the entrance as it was opened up.

            “Is everyone all ready to go?” Pearl’s voice came.  “Oh…it’s just you in here, I thought…I thought they were all in here.”

            “Sapphire is bringing the car around, Ruby is delivering all the paperwork to the front desk, and Bismuth is making sure her SUV will make the trip to Jersey,” Garnet explained.

            “Oh, is she not coming back with us to Beach City?”

            “No, she has to return to her precinct for work, she used up all her vacation days while on the case with us.  But she told me she will be visiting as soon as she can, even if it’s just for a day.”

            Garnet finished properly buttoning her shirt this time and turned to face Pearl.  The pale woman tilted her head as light blue eyes gave her a once over.

            “You look good, especially in that shirt.”

            “Thanks,” the dark woman shyly mumbled, her cheeks warming up.

            “I picked out that shirt,” Pearl confidently smirked.

            “You have a thing for plaid don’t you?”

            “How’d you guess?” the pale woman laughed.  “You like wearing it, it’s a win-win.”

            “I guess my question is why don’t you wear it?”

            “It looks much better on muscular frames, which as you can see,” Pearl held up her arm and flexed.  “I don’t have too much of.”

            The dark woman hummed, stepped forward, and felt the small muscles.  “I don’t know, there’s something there.”

            A blush formed on Pearl’s face as she laughed nervously.

            “And your forearms are pretty solid,” Garnet continued as she felt lower on the pale woman’s arm.

            “Better to fine tune engines with,” Pearl said with a wink.

            Covered eyes widened as she caught the joke.  She laughed as she stepped back to gather the rest of her belongings.

_Are we flirting?_

            Old tattered clothes were shoved into one of the plastic bags supplied by the hospital, followed by a thick folder of paperwork, pamphlets, and prescriptions for drugs.

            “Which bra ended up fitting?” Pearl casually inquired.

            “The purple one.”

            A triumphant smirk formed on thin lips.

            “I’ll try not to brag, don’t want your mother punching me again.”

            “Mum’s was the black one then?”

            Pearl nodded.

            “It was close, but I prefer this fit, provides better support.”

            Garnet faced the thin woman, slightly taken aback by Pearl’s serious gaze.

            “I…I haven’t told you how happy I am that you’re ok,” Pearl softly began, light blue eyes darting to the side.  “You’re standing, walking, talking, carrying on well despite everything you’ve been through the past two months.  When-when I saw you tied to that chair…I was so worried,” eyes quickly blinked back tears. “I couldn’t lose you.  You were what kept me going through all of that.  And…and to see how badly you had been hurt and to hear you beg me to leave you and to blame yourself for everything…I-I couldn’t bear it.”

            Garnet took a deep breath as she could feel the tears stinging her eyes.  The pale woman wiped at the salty drops of liquid running down her face.

            “So, to see you, doing better, not 100% because I know it’s going to take some time, makes me so happy and relieved.”

            The dark woman stepped forward and pulled the smaller woman in for a hug.  Thin fingers desperately grasped onto the back of her shirt as Pearl cried into her chest.  She didn’t remember Pearl rescuing her from the chair she had been tied to, aside from hearing it in her retelling of the events of that night, but everything seemed to make sense.  She would have told Pearl to leave because her injuries would have slowed them down.  Originally, Pearl was supposed to have left after fifteen minutes, Garnet did remember that.

            “Why didn’t you leave when I asked you to?”

            Pearl looked up at her, confusion and surprise written on her face.

            “Why didn’t I leave?”

            “I told you to, after fifteen minutes, to take my car and go.”

            “I-I wanted to make sure you had made it out safely.  I was going to leave once I heard that from you,” light blue eyes looked down at the damp plaid shirt.  “I just kept waiting until I decided to try and find out what happened; then Bismuth contacted me and told me that you were still on the base.  I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice and leave you to die.”

_“I am not making that same mistake twice, Garnet.  I am not going to leave you here to die!”_

            Garnet blinked as the familiar words came back to her in a distraught voice.

            “You said that back then,” the dark woman spoke.  “Didn’t you?”

            “I did,” Pearl lightly blushed.  “And I’d say it again.”

            “Thank you, for not giving up on me.”

            “You did the same for me,” came the soft reply.

            They stood there, holding each other.

_This…feels nice._

            A knock on the door made the two quickly step back and clear their throats.  Ruby briskly walked in and informed the two that Sapphire was waiting in the car at the front entrance to the building they were in.  The short woman did a quick sweep of the room, making sure nothing was left, then took the lead in directing them to the metallic grey, Subaru Outback.  Behind the Subaru was Bismuth sitting in her beaten SUV.  The woman with dreadlocks waved to them and informed them that she would follow them until her path took her elsewhere.  Garnet thanked Bismuth once again for saving her life and for taking care of her and the two teenagers.  Bismuth tried to brush it off, but failed to act nonchalant about it.  The two former partners promised to visit each other when work and schedules permitted.  Ruby hollered at her to get into the car.  Garnet hopped into the front passenger seat that her mum had designated as hers.  Sapphire gave her a warm greeting.  In moments, the tires rolled forward and the two car caravan set out for home.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The nightmare where Yellow Diamond is talking to Garnet about the mattress is actually a memory. After Pearl was taken away in chapter 28, Yellow Diamond did talk to Garnet briefly.  
> Also, Garnet became her teenage self again for the beginning to middle time that she was hanging out with Cherise. After stating that it wasn't real, then Garnet shifted into her adult form.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed it!


	32. Welcome to Beach City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's about time Pearl and Garnet got home and got to see Steven and Amethyst again. Questions come up, and answers are given.

^^^^^^

Pearl and Garnet return to Beach City and begin to readjust to their homes.

^^^^^^

 

            Five hours later, due to nasty traffic they hit on a couple of the highways, the welcome sign to Beach City passed by.  Pearl smiled briefly, she actually had missed this boring tourist trap.  While the drive had been decent, despite the horrors Pearl’s mind made up for her being trapped in a car between Ruby and Sapphire for several hours, the pale woman was more than ready to hop out of the vehicle at the first opportunity.  She was dying to buy some cigarettes and try to sleep in her own bed.  Thin hands felt around for her wallet, paused, then shoulders slumped forward as she remembered that Yellow Diamond had her wallet.

            _Fuck…well…at least I don’t have any credit cards or a valid license for them to use…_

Now that she thought about it, she no longer had her gun, switchblade, and a good number of sets of clothes.  The side of her forehead was rested against the window of the car as arms were wrapped around her middle.  Fingers found the gaps in her leather jacket and shirt.

            _And my jacket has two giant fucking holes in it.  And I have no money to buy anything with._

Pearl raked her fingers through her hair.  She sincerely hoped that the mechanic shop was up and running so she could start earning money again.

            _At least I didn’t lose my actual phone…so I have that._

            “Pearl,” came Sapphire’s soothing voice.  “We are going to drop you off first if that’s ok.  You live with Steven and Greg right?”

            “Yes, thank you.”  Pearl paused.  “Do you know how to get there?”

            “We do.  We had a chance to speak with Greg and Steven before we drove up to the hospital you both were in.”

            “Oh…” the pale woman rubbed her arm.  “That must have been nice.”

            Ruby and Sapphire exchanged a look through the rearview mirror, but made no other comment.  A smile formed in the corner of Pearl’s mouth when the beachside house came into view.  She had definitely missed that.  Sapphire parked the car and Pearl stepped out.

            “Thanks, uh, for the ride, I’ll pay you back for the gas money once I start working again and get some cash flow.”

            “Don’t worry about it, we understand that you’re not in the best financial situation right now, besides we were headed in the same direction,” Sapphire simply stated as she got out of the car.

            Ruby stepped out and silently coaxed Garnet to do the same.

            “Steven will be glad to see the both of you, and maybe we can drop by Amethyst’s place really quick so you can see her too,” the short woman with curly hair chipped in as they walked towards the house.

            Garnet remained silent.  As they turned to walk up the snow-covered path to the porch, Pearl caught sight of a “WELCOME HOME!” sign.  She lightly chuckled.

            _That must have been a great thing for Steven to see when he got home._

Sapphire and Ruby let Pearl and Garnet approach the door first.  The pale woman tried the knob, found it unlocked, and then walked in closely followed by Garnet.

            “SURPRISE!!”

            Lights snapped on, horns were blown, and the entire city practically jumped out from their various hiding spots.  Pearl jumped back in surprise at the same time Garnet took a defensive stance and curled her hands into fists.

            “PEEEAARRRLLL!”  Steven rushed from the crowd and nearly tackled her to the ground with a hug.

            Her side screamed from the pain of being compressed, but she didn’t care, right now all that mattered was that Steven was safe and happy.  Pearl fiercely hugged the young teenage boy back.”

            “I missed you,” he sniffled.

            “So did I,” the thin woman replied through her tears.

            “G-MAN!”

            Out of the corner of her eye she saw Amethyst greet Garnet in a similar manner, the two holding onto each other and crying.  After a long moment, the two teenagers switched so they could hug the other returning hero.  Amethyst’s thick arms easily wrapped around her thin frame and held her close.

            “I’m glad you’re back P, you and G had us real worried there for a moment,” Amethyst mumbled.

            Pearl was at a loss for words by now, she was just so relieved to see both of them smiling.  Steven pulled Garnet over and the four of them were joined together in a group hug.  Light blue eyes glanced across the two teens at the dark woman who was genuinely smiling.  Pearl’s breath was momentarily taken away at how beautiful Garnet looked in that moment.  The urge to pull Garnet in and kiss her on the mouth came out of nowhere and caused the pale woman to start laughing nervously.  Laughter was soon added to hers from those holding her and the crowd gathered around.

            “WELCOME HOME!” everyone shouted as the four reluctantly stepped away from the group hug.

            Music began playing, food was brought out, thanks and handshakes or hugs were given from nearly everyone in the room.  Pearl caught sight of Lapis chilling in the corner of the house as she sipped on a juice box.  The thin police officer gave the pale woman a thumbs up.  Several people started dancing, turning the living room/dining room into a dancefloor.  Questions were asked, and mostly answered.  Pearl kept Garnet in the corner of her eye the whole time, a habit she had developed whenever they were together in Yellow Diamond’s base.  So far it seemed the stoic woman was handling all of the excitement well.  The pale woman let out a sigh of relief.  In a couple of hours, the initial crowd of people died down until it was just Pearl, Garnet, Garnet’s mothers, Lapis, Peridot, Greg, Steven, Connie, Amethyst, and a few of her closest sisters and cousins.  Steven was retelling some of the adventures he had while Pearl and Garnet were gone at the hospital.  Mostly of his and Connie’s constructions of snowmen armies.  The first one had been tiny little stacks of snowballs surrounding the “It’s A Wash” carwash.  They had been subsequently defeated by a blast of hot water.  The second had been a lined row waiting outside of the Big Donut that had startled both Sadie and Lars.  When the two teens had checked on the army the next day, they had been moved to the side so they didn’t impede any incoming traffic.  Connie jumped in with their current plans for the third army and how she and Steven would need their help to build it once a large enough storm dropped the necessary materials.  Their commitment to the cause was enlisted, something that almost all of them agreed to.  Ruby and Sapphire would be returning to Jersey soon due to work and would be unable to make the drive if a large snow did occur.  After another hour or so Garnet and her mothers bade them farewell, the dark woman needed to get her rest in order to keep on healing.

            “Wait, Garnet!” Pearl called after the three women as they were walking across the snow-covered sand towards their parked car.

            The tallest stopped and turned to face her.  Pearl approached her and then moved forward and hugged her.

            “Thank you,” she spoke, “Thank you for everything.”

            Warm arms wrapped around her narrow shoulders.

            “You’re welcome.  Thank you for all you did to help.”

            Pearl stepped back and smiled.  “If you need anything, don’t be afraid to send me a message, I still do have my phone, it should be working…umm, I can give you my number.”

            “I don’t have my phone on me actually, it’s still back at my place,” Garnet sheepishly chuckled as her hands automatically felt for the missing object in her pant pocket.

            “Oh…” Pearl’s shoulders slumped forward.

            “But, there should be a pen in my Mum’s car, I’ll just write it on something.”

            Garnet quickly dug through the glove box and came back with the pen tip stuck in her mouth and a piece of paper in her hand.  Ruby and Sapphire silently watched them from inside the car.

            “Ink’s cold,” the athletic woman explained as she took the pen out of her mouth.

            After a couple of inkless scribbles, the black substance began to write on the paper.  Pearl took the offered pen and paper and wrote down her number.  She felt like a giddy teenager who just got the opportunity to give her number to her secret crush.  Hot breaths escaped her lungs as white puffs of condensed air.  Garnet then tore a piece off and wrote something on it.

            “For you, so you know it’s me.” Garnet shrugged.  “You can send me a message too if you need help or just… you know,” the dark woman shrugged again.

            “Thanks!” Pearl smiled, her hands trembling slightly as she took the offered piece of paper with the blocky digits written on it.

            “See you around,” Garnet waved as she took the two steps necessary to reach the car.

            “Yeah, see you around,” the pale woman returned the wave.

            She watched the car drive away until she realized that she was freezing and bolted towards the warm house.  When she arrived, the remaining guests were packing up to head home.  Everyone except for Amethyst, Connie, and Peridot were leaving.  The three were staying for a sleepover.  They promised Pearl that they wouldn’t disturb her sleep.  The pale woman hugged Steven and Amethyst yet again before wishing everyone a good night.  Drawers were pulled open as the thin woman tried to figure out what she had left to wear.  Hands habitually opened the top drawer as she checked the dresser from bottom to top.  Light blue eyes caught sight of the small jewelry box and the unopened orange envelope, causing her to pause.  With a heavy sigh, Pearl pushed the drawer closed.  She really should open that envelope, but not tonight, she didn’t have the energy for whatever Garnet had written her following their violent break up.  Fingers rubbed the piece of paper in her hand.  The pale woman quickly searched for her phone, then her charger, plugged it in, and waited for it to charge enough so she could enter in Garnet’s phone number.  With trembling hands, she quickly composed a text message and hit send, only to see it not send.  For a couple of frustrating minutes and multiple tries, it finally clicked.  She hadn’t paid her cell phone bill in the past two months.  Pearl smacked her forehead with her hand.  That was going to be on the top of her list of things to fix.

            _Well worst comes to worst, I can just walk to her house and talk to her._

            Pearl helplessly chuckled and shook her head.  In the end, the pale woman simply kicked off her shoes and socks and hung up her jacket before slipping into her bed.  Despite how many things were out of order in her life, she had the things that mattered.  A place to sleep, food, and most importantly people who loved and cared about her.

With a painful jerk, Pearl woke up from her latest nightmare.  Immediately she was looking around the room for either Garnet or a note left by her.  When neither were found, panic started to seep into her veins.  Light blue eyes scanned the room.  Her room.  A heavy breath was let out as she gingerly touched her injured side and shifted her leg so the stitches weren’t being stretched.  She was in Beach City, and Garnet was at her own house now.  Pearl grabbed her phone to check the time.

            7:16am

            The pale woman exhaled and laid back on her bed.  She really was back in Beach City.  All last night she got to spend time with Steven and Amethyst and celebrate their safe returns.  Images from her nightmare flashed through her mind.  Yellow Diamond, Garnet, blood, pain, hopelessness, and death.  She was glad it was just a dream now.  Thin lips fell into a frown.  She missed the reassurance of waking up next to Garnet or having a note from her.  It had been tolerable in the hospital since Jasper was always there to give her an update on the dark woman’s condition.

            _What now?_

Fingers twitched around the device in her hand.  She could arrange for the two of them to have some sort of texting back and forth to provide the reassurance that Garnet was ok.  However, her phone was practically useless until she got her bills sorted and paid off.  To do that she needed money.  Pearl pursed her lips.

            _Mr. Mechanic should have his shop up and running by now.  I should drop by as soon as possible to make sure I still have a job._

After a small breakfast and carefully maneuvering between the four sleeping teenagers, stopping briefly to check on Steven and Amethyst, the pale woman walked through the snow-covered ground towards the mechanic shop.  The shop looked brand new with the fresh exterior and new metal rolling door.  Light blue eyes caught the lit neon “OPEN” sign.  Pearl paused as she checked her phone for today’s date.  She had gotten so used to working every day at Yellow Diamond’s that she had lost track of the days of the week; they had all just blurred together.  It was a Saturday, normally the shop wouldn’t be open.

_There must be a lot of work to do._

            Familiar chimes signaled her entrance into the small office/lobby.

            “I’ll be right with ya!” came the gruff voice.

            Pearl rocked on her heels and continued to absorb all of the subtle changes to the shop such as the clean interior, new tools, and a thorough sprinkler system installed into the ceiling.  A smile creeped onto her face.

            _No doubt he doesn’t want another fire to burn this place up._

            “It’s about time you showed up!”

            The pale woman’s attention snapped to Mr. Mechanic.

            “Hi,” she greeted with a sideways smile.

            “So, what you here for?”

            “Well, I am back and since you have the shop running again, I was wondering if I could still work for you?”

            “Of course, all these cars aren’t going to fix themselves and I can’t keep up with the demand by myself.  Gear up if you’re ready and I’ll put you right to work.”

            “R-really?”  Pearl hadn’t expected it to be that easy.

            “Yeah,” Mr. O’Reilly nodded.  “You would have been here helping me earlier if you weren’t off trying to save the world or something.  There’s a small locker next to the bathroom, it’s yours to use.”

            “Th-thank you,” the thin woman breathed out in relief.  “I’ll get suited up right away.”

            Pearl quickly walked over and spotted the small, grey, metal locker bolted to the ground.  She opened it up and found a brand-new, navy blue coverall folded nicely on the bottom of the locker.  Her breath was caught for a moment when she saw that a name tag with “Pearl” embroidered in red that been sewn onto the coverall.  Hands trembled slightly as she gingerly picked up the suit and stared at the name tag.

            “Your old one was unsuitable for work after that fire,” Mr. Mechanic said from the side.

            The pale woman didn’t know how to respond.  She was floored with the simple gesture that signified a secure position with the mechanic shop owner.

            “There’s a bunch of rumors going around town about why those two teens were kidnapped and why you were gone.  I don’t care what everyone is speculating, I know two things for sure, you were part of the reason why they got out, and you’re here on your first day back ready to work.  So, I don’t want you to worry about losing your job for any reason aside from being a pain in my ass and not showing up to work.  Ok?”

            “I can handle that,” Pearl chuckled through the tears that had formed in her eyes.

            “Now go get changed!  We’ve got a lot of work to catch up on!” he finished as he turned away and walked into the garage area.

            The pale woman suited up and got to work.  For the first few hours it was simple maintenance such as topping off fluids, changing the oil, with a few more involved tasks such as fixing various fluid leaks, a couple of fallen windows, replacing breaks, and such mixed in.  Pearl enjoyed the less stressful occupation and the opportunity to let her mind focus on the task at hand instead of the millions of other things that had been going through her head since she had woken up.  The only thing she needed to keep in mind were her prescribed limitations until both her side and leg healed up.  Towards the end of the day a familiar voice called through the mechanic shop.

            “PEEAARRRRL!” Steven exclaimed as he came rushing into the garage area.

            The thin woman straightened up from where she was bent over the engine of the car she was working on.  He ran and hugged her tightly.

            “Oof!  Hi Steven,” she smiled through the pain in her side as she hugged him back, trying not to get any grease on his clothes.

            “I missed you!”

            “I missed you too,” she chuckled.

            “When we woke up this morning we were really worried that you were gone, but then my Dad called Mr. O’Reilly and found out you were here.”

            “Sorry,” Pearl’s smile fell.  “I should have left a note.  I just figured I needed to make sure I still had a job here.”

            “When do you get off?!” Steven inquired.

            “The shop will close down in about a half an hour.  I’ll be headed back to your house then.”

            “Cool!  Will Mr. O’Reilly mind if I hang out with you for the remaining time?”

            “I…”  Light blue eyes glanced towards the open door to the office where the mentioned shop owner was sitting.

            “I don’t mind!” he called back.  “Just don’t distract Pearl so much she messes up on something.”

            “You got it dude!” Steven gave Mr. O’Reilly a thumbs up.

            “So how did the sleepover go?”

            “It was super fun!  We played a bunch of video games, pretended to be valiant fighters for the world, and fell asleep telling jokes!”

            “How do you fall asleep while laughing?” Pearl wondered.

            “Well, we got so tired from laughing,” Steven yawned, “That we fell asleep.”

            “Oh…well that’s something I’ve never experienced before.  But, the four of you could certainly pull it off if anyone were able to.”

            “Yeah, they were pretty funny.  Too bad they had to leave.”

            “When did they head out?”

            “Around noon.  Amethyst still has a lot of homework to catch up on and college applications to do.  It’s her senior year and she does want to go to college.  Peridot said she would help her out with everything and well she’s got all her family too.  They’ll take good care of her.”

            “Missing two months of school will put you behind, especially in your last year.  I hope she is able to catch up.  Do you still have schoolwork you need to finish?”

            “Not any more, I was able to get it all done in a week.  Whenever I couldn’t sleep I would just pull out my assignments and work on them until I did,” Steven awkwardly chuckled as he swung his legs back and forth.

            Strawberry blonde eyebrows were pulled together in concern.

            “Has it been hard for you to sleep lately?” she carefully asked.

            Steven looked down at his hands as he rotated his fingers around each other.  “Yeah…I just have a harder time relaxing whenever I’m by myself.  But whenever Amethyst is around, we fall asleep pretty easily.”

            “Oh…I’m sorry.”

            “Don’t worry about it Pearl,” he tried to brush off as he smiled and scratched the back of his head.  “Before long I’ll be sleeping like a log growing peat moss, just like before.  Dad says I just gotta give myself some time to recover.”

            Pearl wasn’t convinced.  She knew what he was going through, sleeping medication had been prescribed to her to try and combat her unwillingness to fall asleep.  Now that she wasn’t physically and mentally exhausted every day, her mind had a tendency to not shut off.

_Garnet is also on sleeping medication…I wonder if Amethyst and Steven are too._

            The thin woman opened up her mouth to ask about his or Amethyst’s medication, but then decided against it.  She wasn’t sure if it was her place to ask.

            “I’m sure you will.  Just like catching up on homework takes time, so does recovering from an experience like that.”

            “Yeah!” Steven piped up.

            “I should let Amethyst know she can ask me for help with her homework.  I’m quite proficient in chemistry and math actually,” Pearl lightly chuckled as she changed topics.

            “Yeah…I know why now…” Steven trailed off.

            The pale woman paused and looked up at Steven as he sat on one of the nearby chairs.

            “Steven…I…I’m sorry.”

            “It’s ok, I understand why you didn’t tell me, you didn’t want me to think less of you or my mom.”  The last couple of words were barely audible.

            Pearl walked over and carefully crouched so they were eye level.

            “Steven…there’s…there’s a lot I should have told you, but I didn’t.  I didn’t want you to know, I wanted you to think you had a wonderful normal mother just like everyone else did,” Pearl quietly spoke.

            “I want to know the truth.  I want to hear it from you.  What was my mom really like?”

            “How about tonight?  Either before or after dinner.  You, me, Greg, can all sit down and talk.  Ok?”

            Steven nodded.  “And Amethyst should be there too, she deserves to know after everything that happened.”

            “Yes, she can be there too.  Would you let her know?  My phone isn’t working just yet.”

            “I will,” the young teenager smiled.  “Thank you, Pearl, I-I just need to know.”

            “And you deserve to know, Greg and I should have never kept the truth from you,” Pearl said as she held him close.  “Now, I got to finish up this last job, and then we can head back home, sound good?”

            “Yeah,” Steven smiled with tears in his eyes.

            A half an hour or so Pearl finished working on the car.  Steven called his dad so he could pick them up, instead of walking home in the snow.  As dinner was prepared, Pearl talked briefly to Greg, informing him that Amethyst was coming over and that it was time for Steven to know the truth.  The bearded man agreed and said that he would help out with the conversation.  After dinner, which Amethyst was also there for, all four of them sat down on the couches.  Pearl let out a long breath as she looked up at the two expectant teens.

            “Where should I start?” the pale woman wondered out loud.

            “My mother,” Steven stated, “who was she, what did she do, did she really sell drugs and kill people?”

            “That’s quite the opening question,” Pearl swallowed.  “Your mother, Rose Jones, was the leader of the gang called the Rose Thorns.  The Rose Thorns sold meth, and dealt in other criminal activity such as theft and murder.  However, your mother tried to avoid killing as much as possible in her dealings, but there were times where it was kill or be killed.”

            “So Yellow Diamond was right then,” Steven looked down.  “Rose wasn’t a good person.”

            “Rose-!” Pearl cut off her instinctive counter.  “Rose did many illegal things, but she welcomed kids like me into her home and took care of them.  I would have died or worse if she hadn’t found me.”

            “But then she had you become a meth cook!”

            “Yes, I did.  It was my choice.  After turning eighteen I was given two options, head out on my own with some last help to get me a job and situated in a place to live, or stay and help out the family.  I chose to stay where I felt loved.  I began learning how to make meth from the current cook and helping them with the batches, until they died in a lab explosion a year later.  The task of making meth fell entirely on me from then on.  To best know how to handle the chemicals I decided I wanted to go to college and get a degree in chemistry.  Rose helped me get into school and paid for all my expenses.  For four years I was a college student by day and a meth cook by night.”

            “And that’s how you came to know Yellow Diamond,” Amethyst spoke up.  “She bought your meth.”

            “Yes.  Rose had a connection that got her a chance to deliver the Drug Lord a sample of my product.  At first it was only five kilograms a month, it kept on increasing until we were selling over fifty kilograms a month to her.  Sorry I’m getting off track,” Pearl quickly backtracked.  “The answer is Steven, that your mother did both good and bad.  Yes, she did illegal activities and killed a few people, but like we’ve said before, she did help out a lot of people when no one else would.  She never required payment for what she willingly gave to those who were struggling.”

            “When I met your mother,” Greg spoke up, “She was one of the few people that would drop by my spot where I’d play songs for spare change.  At first it was just a friendly interaction that steadily grew into something more.  I learned of her involvement and leadership in the gang scene and it was a real stumbling block for our relationship.  But then she was expecting you and she started making plans to leave and turn it over to someone else.  We were so excited.”

            “So what happened?  Why didn’t she come with us?”

            “Rose’s enemies found out about you soon after you were born.  I took you, ran, and hid here.  Rose was supposed to follow, but she was caught in the middle of all the gang stuff and wasn’t able to leave before she was killed in a shoot-out between gangs.”

            “Wait, when did my mother die?” Steven’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

            “About seven years ago, just a little bit before I moved to Beach City,” Pearl answered.

            “So…” the teenage boy stared at the floor.  “So all that time you told me that she was just overseas for work, she was in Jersey being a gang leader.  I could have met her…”

            Pearl and Greg shared a guilty glance.

            “Why…?  Didn’t she love me?  Why did I never get to meet her any of those years she was still alive?”

            “Steven,” the pale woman began, “she did love you and wanted to meet you so bad, but she didn’t want to endanger you.  If people found out where you were and that you were her son, they would have tried to hurt you to get to her.”

            “What does it matter?  Yellow Diamond came after Steven anyway,” Amethyst jumped in.

            “Yeah!”

            “Yellow Diamond came after the both of you because you are both important to me, not because your mother was Rose,” Pearl corrected.  “While being the son of one of her former business partners made you more interesting to Yellow Diamond, the kidnapping was all to get me to come work for her.  I made the mistake of thinking I could leave that life behind and start anew.  I made the mistake of thinking Yellow Diamond would just leave if I told her ‘No’ enough times.  You both suffered for my lack of actions.  I’m sorry.”

            “We’re both sorry, Steven,” Greg added.  “We chose to keep all of this a secret from you in hopes that it was for the best.”

            Steven sighed as tears ran down his round cheeks.  “I get it, I just wish I had known.  It was really confusing to hear those kinds of stories from Yellow Diamond.  I didn’t know if she was telling the truth or just trying to torment me.  And then, now, I learn that she was telling the truth the whole time.”  He looked up at Pearl and Greg.  “I would have much rather heard from you two first.”

            “We’re sorry, Steven,” Pearl blinked back her tears.  “We won’t hide things like this again.”

            The young teenager hugged them both, then Amethyst was pulled in for a big group hug.  More questions were asked, and many stories were told about Rose, Pearl, and Greg.  Nighttime fell on the small family.

            “So,” Amethyst spoke up after the latest story came to a close.  “We are all still in danger aren’t we?”

            “From Yellow Diamond?” Pearl clarified.

            “Yeah, I mean we still got those policemen and women following us around and watching us.  She’s going to come for revenge isn’t she?”

            “I have no doubt she will come after Garnet and I again,” the thin woman breathed out.

            “So what are we going to do?!  Two policemen aren’t going to stop her.”

            “No, they won’t,” Pearl looked down at her hands.  “Lapis spoke to me briefly at the party yesterday.  Jasper wants us all to meet and discuss the next course of action to ensure everyone’s safety.”

            “Will we even have enough time to?” Amethyst pushed.

            “I believe we do have time.  When Jasper and Bismuth rescued Garnet and I, a lot of damage was done to Yellow Diamond’s base and personnel,” she added the last two words in a quieter voice.  “Also, I have no doubt Jasper has sent federal agents after her.  She will be on the run while recovering from her loss.  So, we do have some time to make a good plan and put it into action.”

            Steven and Amethyst exchanged a wordless glance and nodded.

            “The sooner we talk and get this plan going, the better.”

            “I agree,” the thin woman breathed out.

            A vibration pulled everyone’s attention to Amethyst as the sound was coming from her leggings.  The silver haired teen pulled out her phone and typed away her response to the message.

            “So my parents were wondering when I was coming home,” violet eyes looked up at them.  “I should probably head out, don’t want to worry them anymore.”

            “Before you go, one more group hug!” Steven encouraged.

            “Of course little buddy,” Amethyst grinned as she ruffled his hair.

            They all were brought together for one last hug before Greg drove Amethyst back to her home.  Once Greg had come back the three got ready for bed.  Pearl got another hug from Steven before she went up to her room.  With a sleeping pill and a swig of water, the pale woman slid under the covers to try and sleep, hoping that her nightmares wouldn’t be as bad this time.

 

            The mechanic shop was closed on Sunday, as was usual.  Pearl enjoyed a lively breakfast with Steven and Greg.  A good remedy to chase away the lingering terror of her dreams.  As she sipped on a cup of tea while Steven and Greg were tossing jam jokes back and forth, her thoughts went to Garnet yet again.  Having no contact with the woman was starting to really bother her.  She picked up her useless phone off the table and suppressed a frustrated sigh.

            “We should have a game night!” Steven blurted out drawing Pearl’s attention back to the other two.  “Sunday Funday!”

            “I’m all for that,” Greg smiled.  “Who, what, when, and where?”

            “Hmmm,” Steven thought for a moment.  “Here, 6:00pm, all sorts of board games, Connie, Amethyst, Peridot, Pearl, you, me, and Garnet!”

            “Garnet?” the pale woman perked up.

            “Yeah,” Steven widely smiled.  “I bet she’d love it, and I want to her over so we can all spend time together having fun!”

            “Great thinking Stewball,” Greg smiled.  “We have plenty of leftover party food from Friday.  Though…we did have them over for a sleepover just a day ago…”

            “Well if they can’t come, I’ll understand,” Steven shrugged, “But I think they will!  I’ll send out a text right now.  Pearl you should contact Garnet and let her know!”

            “M-me?” Pearl pointed at herself.

            “Yeah, you have her number right?”

            “I do, it’s just-” she looked down at her useless device again.

            “Has your phone been cut off?” Greg inquired.

            “Yeah…I’m going to get my service back with my first paycheck in a couple of weeks.”

            “Nonsense, let’s give your provider a call and get things settled.  I’ll pay for it.”

            “What, no Greg you don’t have to,” the pale woman tried to object.

            “It’s the least I can do for you after everything you’ve done.”

            “I’m going to pay you back once I have the money,” Pearl stated.

            Greg just shook his head with his long brown locks of hair waving back and forth.  “Let’s just get things back online with you.  Besides we want to be able to contact you too.”

            “Alright,” Pearl conceded.

            Once breakfast had been cleaned up, Pearl and Greg spoke with her phone provider for three hours to get the bill, and all of the other late charges, paid.  In the end, the company promised the services would return once the money had been received.  Since they were using Greg’s credit card it would be a day or two before Pearl would be able to text or call.  The thin woman thanked Greg for the help, and then decided to walk over to Garnet’s place to invite her to the game night.  Both Connie and Peridot were unable to come due to schoolwork and family activities, but Amethyst and her sister Curly were coming.  Faded light blue flats crunched through the fresh layer of snow on the sidewalks.  Hands reached for her lighter and a cigarette to help warm her, but found both missing.  Pearl sighed and looked up at the clouded sky full of softly dancing snowflakes.  Those belongings of hers would be back with Yellow Diamond.

            _I’ll get some with my next paycheck._

She mentally paused as she continued her journey.

            _When was the last time I smoked?_

In all honesty it would have had to been no later than the night Steven and Amethyst had been found and broken out by Garnet.  A puff of condensed air escaped her lips.  Her cravings for the chemical weren’t as constant as they normally were, although thinking about it brought it back to the forefront of her mind quickly.

            _Maybe I should consider quitting?_

Pearl shook her head and chuckled.  She would come back to that idea.  A frown quirked onto her thin lips when her leg started to burn from the long walk.  Pearl slowed down to help ease the strain on the stitches in her thigh.

_Only halfway there…_

            Pearl pushed on slowly, wrapping her holey jacket around her cold frame tighter.  Light blue eyes eventually looked up at the familiar house and the Subaru Outback sitting in the driveway.  At first she wondered where Garnet’s car was, then remembered that Yellow Diamond had it now.  The pale woman grimaced, Garnet probably wasn’t going to be too thrilled to have to replace that.  Knowing that Ruby and Sapphire were in the house made Pearl’s stomach tighten slightly in apprehension as she silently walked up the steps to the porch.  However, her desire to see and talk to Garnet gave her the determination to knock.  Before her fist could strike the door, a loud exclamation could be heard.

            “I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!  I DON’T WANT TO TAKE MY MEDICATION!  IT ISN’T HELPING!”

            Garnet’s voice was easily heard through the walls of the house.  Pearl’s hand hovered by the door as her determination drained out of her body and puddled around her feet.  She pulled away and quickly paced around on the porch.  Trying to regather her courage to extend the invitation.

            _Steven is counting on you!  It will be a nice night to help Garnet enjoy being back and distract her from her pain._

Pearl approached the door yet again and took a deep breath.  With more force than was probably necessary, pale knuckles rapped against the painted, metal door.  Several tense seconds passed.  The door opened up and the strawberry blonde looked down to see Ruby scowling at her.

            “Hi-” she began.

            Pearl was cut off as the door was closed on her face.  She groaned, slapped her forehead, and raised up her hand to knock on the door again.  The door was opened again, this time by the familiar tall frame, curly afro, and reflective pink and blue sunglasses.

            “Garnet!” Pearl squeaked out in surprise.

            “Come in,” Garnet stepped aside and motioned her in after a silent pause.

            “Thanks,” the pale woman could feel her cheeks heating up as she walked into the warm house.

            The tall woman walked into the kitchen area.  Pearl shoved her hands into her leather jacket’s pockets and breathed out slowly.  Ruby was pacing back and forth by the barstools and Sapphire was sitting on the couch with her small hands folded neatly in her lap.  The tension in the room could be cut with a knife.

            “Good afternoon, Pearl,” Sapphire greeted her first.

            “Good to see you, Sapphire,” Pearl nervously smiled, “and Ruby,” she nodded to the pacing woman.

            The pale woman turned to speak to Garnet, but her ability to think straight and form a decent sentence died when she saw that the curly haired woman was staring at her.

            “I-I-uh.”  She sheepishly grinned and scratched the top of her head.  “How are you Garnet?  I haven’t gotten to talk to you since the welcome home party.”

            Garnet leaned back against the counter.  “Tired.  You?”

            “Same,” she looked down.

            An awkward silence followed her words.  Pearl quickly cleared her throat.

            “I have a reason for dropping by.  I would have texted you, but there’s several bills that need to be sorted out before I can.”

            “I can understand,” Garnet motioned to the pile of opened envelopes on the edge of the bar.  “I had quite a few to go through.  Thankfully my mums were able to keep my utilities, house payments, and such going so I didn’t run into too many late fees and still have water, energy, and phone service.”

            “That’s very nice of the both of you,” Pearl directed to the two mothers.

            “Of course!” Ruby said loudly.  “As soon as we found out about where Garnet had gone after almost three weeks of not hearing anything from her, we came right here to make sure her home was taken care of for when she got back.”

            “I couldn’t let either of you know what I was doing,” Garnet grumbled, folding her arms across her chest, as if preparing for another argument.

            “And why not?  We wouldn’t have told anyone and it would have saved us a lot of worry and panic.  Calling Bismuth and prying that information from her was NOT fun.”

            “I didn’t want to put either of you in danger by contacting you and telling you about it.”

            “You also wanted to avoid us potentially talking you out of it,” Sapphire stated.

            “I’m sorry, ok!” Garnet said firmly.  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell either of you, I’m sorry for causing so much worry and stress.”

            Pearl stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do and when to speak up.

_This was not a good time…_

            “Sorry Pearl,” Garnet redirected as she pinched the bridge of her nose.  “You came here for something, what was it?”

            “Oh, um…Steven is actually planning on having a game night tonight at his place at 6:00pm.  He wanted me to deliver the invitation to you.  So far Amethyst, her sister Curly, Greg, Steven, and I are all attending.  He, and all of us, would love it if you came.”

            “That sounds like a great idea, I’d love to come,” Garnet replied as a tiny smile appeared in the corner of her lips.

            “Great!  I’ll let him know.  There’s going to be food, so don’t worry about eating beforehand.”

            “Awesome, thanks Pearl for delivering the invitation.  I’ll see you later tonight.”

            “Yes, I’ll see you then,” Pearl grinned.  “Now that I’ve successfully delivered the message, I’m going to head back now in case the snow starts coming down harder.”

            “Did you drive here?” Sapphire asked.

            “No, I walked.  I don’t have a car.”

            “I see.  Would you mind if I gave you a ride back?  It’s cold out there and your footwear is not adequate to protect you.”

            “Oh!” Pearl blushed.  “That’s very generous of you.  Yes, I don’t mind at all.  The walk over was nice, but my feet are a bit cold…”

            Sapphire stood up, grabbed her purse off the coffee table and walked towards the door.

            “I will be back soon,” she directed to her wife and daughter.

            “Bye,” Pearl waved to the both of them, focusing mostly on Garnet.

            The two returned the wave.  Sapphire drove silently towards the Universe’s house.  Pearl wasn’t quite relaxed, but not as tense as she normally was around Garnet’s mothers.  Sapphire had a calming presence around her.  The car stopped and parked just a few feet from the stairs leading up to the porch.  Pearl was about to thank the short woman for the ride and leave when Sapphire spoke up.

            “I would like to talk for a moment, if you don’t mind, Pearl.”

            She really couldn’t say no, despite how much the idea sent her mind into a panic.

            “S-sure, what about?”

            “Garnet.”

            “Right.”

            “Do you care for her?”

            “Y-yes, I do,” Pearl was treading carefully, she had no idea where the conversation would go.  “How has she been doing these past two days?”

            “Garnet,” Sapphire sighed.  “Hasn’t slept the past two nights and refuses to take her medication or fully explain her reasoning for doing so.”

            “What?!” Pearl was genuinely surprised.  “That…that doesn’t sound like her at all.  She was taking them back at the hospital, they were helping her sleep.  Why would she stop?”

            “I believe it has something to do with her nightmares and trauma,” Sapphire began.  “I want to know.  I want to understand what Yellow Diamond did to her so I can best help her heal.”  The short woman with long hair turned to face Pearl.  “You were with her.  Tell me, tell me what they did to her.  Not just what happened that night you two escaped, but everything that happened throughout the whole operation.”

            Pearl was stunned, she hadn’t been expecting that question at all.  She took a deep breath and let it out heavily as she stared at the glove box.  And so, she told, told everything she knew about what Garnet had been through.  From the initiation, to the hard labor, to the guards beating her, to the state she was in when Pearl found her zip tied to the chair.  Sapphire cried as she listened, mostly silent tears with a few soft sobs.  When Pearl had finally finished, she risked a sideways glance at the grieving mother.

            “I’m sorry,” Pearl whispered through the tears that had begun to run down her face.  “It was because of me she went through all of that.  I made a huge mistake and she was the one who went with me to fix it.”

            “Thank you,” Sapphire finally spoke.  “Thank you for telling me everything.”

            The pale woman simply nodded.

            “I noticed how she reacted when you came over.”

            A strawberry blonde eyebrow was raised.

            “I don’t know how close the two of you are and if she trusts you or not.  Ruby and I are going to do everything we can to help her.  If she does open up to you, will you help her?”

            “Of-of course!  I’ll do anything I can to help her,” Pearl quickly answered.

            “Thank you,” Sapphire nodded.  “Ruby is wary of you, I am too, but I am willing to give you a second chance despite my reservations and due to your current genuine concern for her well-being.  Garnet is an adult and she can choose to associate with whomever she wants.  However, if you hurt my daughter again, no such kindness will be offered.”

            The ice in Sapphire’s last sentence put the layers of frozen water outside to shame.  Pearl swallowed heavily.

            “I understand.  Thank you for giving me a second chance.  We aren’t involved or anything, I am just happy being her friend and earning her trust back.”

            The long-haired woman nodded, a small smile appearing on her thick lips.

            “Have a good time at the game night.”

            “Thanks,” Pearl nervously chuckled as she unbuckled her seatbelt and exited the car.  “Thank you again for the ride back.  It was very generous of you.”

            “You’re welcome.”

            With a final wave, Sapphire drove back towards Garnet’s house and Pearl walked into the beachside residence.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some good talks, every one is healing. And now we have a game night to look forward to next chapter. The next chapter is a big one, so get ready for that ;)


	33. Hot and Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big chapter! I actually suggest reading through this one twice because so much happens. Also, /*** and ***\ signify an area of a more heated moment that some of you may wish to skip.
> 
> Song for this chapter: Rihanna - Stay ft. Mikky Ekko

^^^^^^

Contrasting feelings, contrasting actions, good news, and bad news.

^^^^^^

 

            Setting up for the game night was fairly simple.  Just set out a few bowls of chips, finger foods, and previously cut vegetables and fruits, clean up the house a little bit, and assemble a pile of games for everyone to easily see and pick from.  Garnet arrived right at 6:00pm holding two dozen assorted doughnuts from the Big Donut.  Steven greeted her with an enthusiastic cheer and a hug.  Greg set the doughnuts next to the other food.  Pearl was given a smile and small hi from the curly haired woman.  Amethyst and her older sister Curly arrived at 6:24pm, also bringing two dozen assorted doughnuts from the Big Donut.  Upon realizing that Garnet had done the same, everyone enjoyed a good laugh and the surplus of the deep-fried treat.  They gathered around the low table, some sitting on cushions or the couches nearby, to play a couple games of Jenga.  Pearl was very skilled at that game since she had steady and careful hands, but Greg and Steven’s skill for the game kept things interesting.  Next, they played Not That Sorry.  It was a lively game, especially with Steven, Amethyst, and Curly neck and neck for the lead most of the game.  No mercy was given as pieces were smacked off the board when a drawn card enabled the action.  Surprisingly enough Garnet swept in to win at the last moment, pulling several key cards and decisions that moved all of her pieces to the home position while clearing off a number of other participant’s pieces.  After the sound defeat, they agreed to take a moment to gather some snacks and prepare for the next challenge.

            “The next game shall beeee!” Steven dramatically announced as he lifted the game’s box high over his head.  “Citchen Calamity!” he revealed as he set it down on the coffee table.

            “Oh no…” Amethyst groaned.  “This one is complicated.”

            “Aww c’mon, it’s so much fun!  You never know what's going to happen.”

            “You really don’t,” the silver haired teen loudly whispered to her sister and Pearl.

            “I’ll get the board set up and then we can roll the dice to determine who will go first!” the young teen decided.

            “Alright Stewball,” Greg smiled, “You know this game the best.  How about you give us a rundown of the rules?  I know I can always use a refresher.”

            “Sure!” Steven grinned as he hit the blender the churned the dice around before spitting them out of the bottom to clatter against the board game.

            Out of the corner of Pearl’s eye she noticed Garnet flinching ever so slightly.  Strawberry blonde eyebrows were pulled together in confusion.  They all gathered around and Steven began to go over the numerous rules.  Once they got the basics somewhat down, each person rolled the dice to see who would get the highest number.  Every time the plastic cubes jumped around in the mixer and rolled out onto the game area, Garnet became incredibly rigid and silent, her previous engaged and relaxed manner gone out the window.  When it was her turn to roll the dice, she held up her hand and politely passed saying that she needed a break.  Pearl watched with concern as the curly haired woman stood up and walked out onto the porch.

            “Yo, P!” Amethyst called out to her after the door closed.  “It’s your turn.  Roll the dice.”

            _“When I roll these dice together, it’s just for their numbers, not to execute or torture.  Tonight, I am rolling them twice.”_

_“roll…”_

_“execute…”_

_“torture…”_

_“roll these dice…”_

Yellow Diamond’s voice echoed in her mind.  The realization and connection hit her suddenly.

            “Oh…well…” she glanced at the door Garnet had exited.  “I’m actually going to take a break, you guys play with the just the four of you and I’ll be right back in for the next game.”

            “Aww, ok…” Steven pouted.

            “I promise,” Pearl reassured as she stood up and headed towards the door.

            “You two better behave out there!” Amethyst shouted.

            The pale woman’s cheeks flushed.

            “Amethyst!” she hissed before quickly slipping out the door while putting her worn leather jacket on and shutting it behind her.

            The silver haired teen’s laughter was mostly muffled by the wooden barrier.  Light blue eyes turned to look at the back of the tall figure partially illuminated by the porch light.  Snowflakes danced softly towards the ground, swirling and twirling around.  Garnet was leaning on the railing and staring out at the dark ocean waves chopping back and forth.  Pearl walked over and leaned on the section right next to her.  For a couple of minutes nothing was said as the thin woman mulled over her words and the potential drawbacks for bringing up the assumed reason why Garnet had stepped out.  She breathed out and watched the white puff of air float upwards.

            “Was it the dice?” Pearl cautiously asked.

            Large hands clenched into fists.

            “It’s such a silly thing to react to,” Garnet bitterly chuckled.

            Eyes looked down at her thin fingers, slowly getting cold in the freezing temperature.

            “Considering what experiences they are linked to, I don’t think so.”

            “What am I supposed to do?  Avoid any Yahtzee or board game with dice?  Or sit through and endure what that sound makes me remember?”

            “Well, give it some time, it’s barely been a week,” Pearl tried.

            “Give it time,” Garnet scoffed.  “That’s what everyone _always_ says.  Give it time, you’ll be able to play with dice again.  Give it time, you’ll be able to sleep again.  Give it time, you’ll be able to run again.  Give it time, you’ll be able to wear your vest again.  Give it time, your vision might heal.  What if it doesn’t heal?” the dark woman rounded on Pearl.  “What if it remains broken?!”

            “Then I wouldn’t blame you,” the pale woman evenly stated without blinking, holding Garnet’s covered gaze.  “And we’d play card games, stacking games, and video games for the rest of our lives.”

            The dark woman just breathed out harshly into the night air, shaking her head.  Pearl risked scooting closer to the woman, letting her shoulder touch Garnet’s upper arm.  Garnet didn’t pull away.

            “What did my mum talk to you about?” the curly haired woman asked.

            The pale woman was surprised at first and was about to counter the statement, but then she figured that Sapphire’s long return had tipped Garnet off.

            “You actually.”

            “I figured.”

            “She wanted to know what had happened to you during the undercover mission.”

            “And you told her.”

            There was a subtle edge to Garnet’s voice.

            “She just wants to understand what you went through.”

            “I know.  Did you ever consider that I didn’t want her to know before you said everything?”

            “I-I…no,” Pearl looked away.  “I didn’t.  I assumed you would be ok with it since you’re always so open with them.”

            The dark woman breathed out heavily and braced her hands against the railing.

            “It doesn’t matter now.  They both know and are being even more cautious around me, going out of the way to ensure nothing could negatively affect me or trigger me.”

            “Do you not want that?”

            “I want to be treated like an adult, not a child.  I don’t need to be coddled.”

            “Just like you don’t want to take your medication?” the pale woman pointed out.

            Garnet fell silent.

            “I have to take them too, otherwise I don’t sleep, even then I still get horrific nightmares,” Pearl continued to talk.

            “It’s not just the nightmares.”

            “What is it?”

            Full lips were pulled down into a frown.  Sturdy fingers were threaded together.

            “My home and being able to determine that I am safe in my current reality are one of the few things keeping me grounded right now.  So…” her breath wafted up into the air as a puff of white smoke.  “If I wake up and see Yellow Diamond towering over me, or Connor standing next to my bed, or the five sisters in my room, there goes my grip on reality.”

            “Wait…” Pearl’s brain worked quickly to figure out what was happening.  “Hallucinations?”

            Garnet nodded.  “Took me a few moments the first time to realize that was what it was.  Sleeping pill side effects list unusual dreams, but I must be one of the lucky ones that get hallucinations on top of it.  It took only one night of waking up from a nightmare multiple times just to see those various faces in my room for me to decide that I wasn’t going to play that game.  It’s only been one night without my medication, but my mothers asked about it right away when I seemed more tired this morning instead of looking rested.  And well my temper gets short when I don’t get a livable amount of sleep.  Things kinda exploded today.”

            “I heard…” Pearl admitted.

            “Sapphire told you?”

            “No, you shouting through the door did.”

            “Ah…well I’m not perfect.  Just look at how well our plan worked out.  We would have been dead without Jasper or Bismuth.”

            “I disagree, you did well considering all the pressure and surveillance we were under.  You were the one who found Steven and Amethyst and got them out,” the thin woman countered.

            Garnet chuckled and shook her head.  Pearl bumped her shoulder against the taller woman’s arm.  Garnet bumped her back.  The strawberry blonde tried to retaliate with a playful, harder hit, but Garnet moved out of the way causing her to stumble for a moment before she regained her balance.  A wide grin graced full lips.  Light blue eyes stared for a second too long.

            “Thank you,” the deep accented voice spoke.

            “For what?” Pearl wondered, caught slightly off guard.

            “Listening.”

            Thin lips formed a sincere smile.  “I’m here for you.  I’m not going anywhere unless you want me to.”

            “That’s…nice actually,” Garnet began.  “I don’t recall you being this supportive back when we were dating.  Well, there wasn’t much of a need for you to be.  That was a high time for me.  Aside from the usual struggles at work and some of our relationship issues, everything was going really well.”

            “It was,” Pearl agreed.  “For me too,” she quickly added.

            “I remember when you introduced me to Pi day,” Garnet chuckled as she turned 90 degrees to face Pearl, her left arm resting on the railing.

            Light blue eyes widened in recollection.

            “I arrived at your apartment only to see ten homemade pies all over the counters.  Each one with varying symbols or numbers that represented Pi decorated onto it.”

            “I remember you asked me if I was high or baking for a banquet,” the pale woman faced Garnet, leaning sideways on the railing with her uninjured side.

            “In my defense, I had just caught a strong whiff of that stuff as I was walking up the stairs,” the curly haired woman shrugged.

            “And then you proceeded to eat a slice from each one,” Pearl giggled.  “That then gave you a huge stomach ache and diarrhea.”

            “Hey!  My girlfriend had just made almost a dozen delicious pies, I wasn’t going to miss out on any of them.  Especially when they were fresh.  What happened to them?  I doubt you and S ate them all.”

            “No, I ended up taking them all to the Rose Thorns, they were gone in minutes.”

            “Ah, makes sense.”

            “Rose’s favorite was my strawberry rhubarb.  I liked to make one for her each year,” Pearl reminisced.

            “Mine was the blackberry.”

            “I do remember that,” Pearl nodded in agreement.

            “Do you still bake?”

            “Pies?”

            Garnet let out a breathy chuckle.  “Well I hope just pies, cakes, or cookies.  If you’re baking any _other_ stuff I’m going to have to take you in,” came the light tease.

            The pale woman laughed heartily at that.  “Remember when you did take me in for a day for trespassing on Fish Stew Pizza?”

            “Yeah,” Garnet crossed her arms over her chest as she faced the house and leaned back on the wooden railing.  “You were a real pain in my ass.”

            “I was,” Pearl breathed out.  “Well at least I hope it is past tense now…right?”

            Covered eyes turned to look at her.  The thin woman couldn’t tell what Garnet’s expression was.  Light blue eyes caught the tiniest smirk in the corner of the dark woman’s full lips.  She knew that look, one of Garnet’s eyebrows should be raised up in addition to the smirk.

            “So far it seems to be past tense,” Garnet faced Pearl again, taking a step closer to her; her smirk growing.

            Pearl’s eyes lingered on Garnet’s lips for a moment too long again.  It was so much easier to read the athletic woman’s expressions without the glasses.  Shielded eyes watched Pearl as her pale, frozen hands tentatively reached up towards the reflective sunglasses.

            “May I?” the thin woman asked.

            Garnet took another step forward and lowered her head slightly so Pearl’s hands were right by them, silently giving her permission to have them removed.  Reflective sunglasses were carefully pulled away to reveal a brown eye and the partially faded eye, both with noticeable bags underneath.

            _She must be exhausted._

/***

            Gravity seemed to be pulling her in the longer she stared into those beautiful eyes.  Pearl didn’t dare to blink when she felt Garnet’s forehead gently touch hers and their noses rub.  Thick lips ghosted over hers.  She pushed against the touch, dying for more.  Hands slipped around her sides and held her, fingers splaying across her upper and lower back.  Cold, closed lips were mashed together only to be drawn back to comeback together parted.  Reflective sunglasses fell to the ground as Pearl’s hands grabbed the front of Garnet’s jacket, hanging on for her life.  Teeth knocked together as they tried to find their rhythm.  The moan bubbling up from the back of the pale woman’s throat was cut off by the warm tongue gliding across hers.  Arms held her closer as heat exploded throughout her body and her heart beat wildly in her chest.  Garnet let out a breathy gasp as she pulled away for a brief moment.  Pearl guided her back with the hand she placed on the sharp jaw.  Oh she loved how Garnet kissed.  Thick lips captured her top lip and softly nibbled on it, only to move away and do the same to her bottom lip.  Both hands grabbed Garnet’s face and brought her in, Pearl’s tongue pushing against the taller woman’s in their desperate dance.  Any thought of the freezing temperatures around her or the snowflakes collecting on them as they stood there disappeared with each second she spent making out with Garnet.  The pale woman gently bit on the swollen lips, causing a moan to slip out and a hand to reach up to press against the nape of her neck.  Thick lips were against hers in seconds, taking control of what Pearl willingly gave over.  Eventually, the two pulled back so just their foreheads were touching as they panted for air.

***\

            “Holy shit,” Pearl breathed out.

            Garnet chuckled.

            Thin fingers threaded together behind Garnet’s neck as they continued to hold each other.

            “Have you ever been a bad kisser?” the strawberry blonde wondered aloud.

            “When I was younger.”

            The sound of the screen door slamming shut made them jump away from each other, whirling their heads towards the source of the sound.  No one was currently at the door, just someone had been watching them.  The two adults laughed off the awkwardness.

            “They might be done by now, we should head back in,” Garnet spoke first.

            “Right!  We shouldn’t dawdle,” Pearl nervously laughed as she reached down and picked up Garnet’s sunglasses.  “That was probably Amethyst, she’s been hoping for something like this to happen.”

            Garnet hummed in agreement as she put them back on and they walked to the door.

            “You know, I bet Steven might enjoy your strawberry rhubarb pie, and Amethyst, well she enjoys everything.”

            “That’s…a great idea actually, it’s been such a long time.  Pie day is only a couple of months out.  They would love it,” the pale woman smiled.  “And maybe I’ll make a blackberry one for you too.”

            “I wouldn’t mind,” the dark woman grinned.

            Strong hands opened the door and motioned for Pearl to go in first.  The pale woman blushed and thanked her.

            Inside, the warmth of the house quickly melted the snowflakes that had gathered in their hair and on their clothes.  Water droplets were brushed off as jackets were hung back up.  Pearl looked over at the coffee table where everyone was sitting, her sharp eyes catching Amethyst and Curly’s matching wide, toothy grins, Steven’s red face, and Greg’s “I’m not going to ask” expression.  While it was certainly embarrassing to have been watched by almost all of them, she didn’t care.  Her body was still singing from the moment and she would do it all over again if she got the chance.  The two adults took their previous seats as Curly picked out the next game to play.  Cards were shuffled and distributed while a starting card was flipped face up on the table next to the draw pile.  Several rounds in, Pearl stood up to grab a couple of items to eat.  Light blue eyes traveled across the remaining doughnuts.  She grabbed another napkin to snatch a chocolate cake one in addition to the lemon filled doughnut she had picked out for herself.  Pearl did her best to act casual as she walked back over and silently held the chocolate cake one out to Garnet.  The curly haired woman paused for a moment before smiling and grabbing the deep-fried treat.

            “Thank you.  Is that your favorite?” Garnet motioned to the doughnut Pearl was biting into.

            “Raspberry filled is actually my favorite,” the thin woman said through the food in her mouth, “but,” she paused to swallow, “it’s a close second.”

            The card game continued, each player trying to get rid of their cards while throwing obstacles at their opponents.  Garnet emptied her hand first and sat back to watch the rest of them duke it out for second and third place.  Amethyst finished second, then Curly was third.  Another round was set up.  For a couple more hours they continued to play various games until it was time for Amethyst and her sister to head back home.

            “Hey Pearl!” the silver haired teen called out to her from just outside the door.  “I have something to show you really quick!”

            “Sure, what is it?” the pale woman asked as she walked over.

            Amethyst grinned and motioned for her to step outside for a moment.  Light blue eyes rolled in their sockets, but she did and looked down at what Amethyst was bringing up on her phone.  A video started to play.  Pearl’s cheeks heated up with embarrassment as she quickly realized who and what the video was of.

            “Amethyst!” she hissed.  “Erase that right now!”

            “No way!  I am keeping this forever,” she laughed as she began to dance down the porch steps towards Curly’s car.

            Pearl smacked her face and groaned.  “Fine…but if I see that on anyone else’s phone I’m coming for you!”

            “No prob, P!”

            The pale woman watched them drive off.  She shook her head and walked back in.  Steven and Greg were cleaning up the place, while Garnet was sitting on the couch.  Pearl stepped right in to help put everything away.  A few minutes later she glanced at Garnet to check on her.  The dark woman was slumped in her seat, her chest rising and falling at a slow pace.

            “I think…Garnet might be asleep,” Pearl whispered to Greg and Steven.

            The two turned to look at the remaining guest.

            “I think you’re right,” Greg agreed.  “We should probably wake her up so she can get back home and rest there.”

            “Wait,” Pearl grabbed Greg’s arm before he walked over to Garnet.  “Let me do it, I don’t want you to get punched accidentally.”

            “Oh…right, still adjusting?  I’ll go get the van warmed up and we can drive her home.  I think her mothers dropped her off.”

            “That would be great.”

            Greg grabbed his jacket and then headed outside to his van, followed closely by Steven.  The pale woman cautiously approached Garnet’s slumped form on the couch.

            “Garnet,” Pearl spoke quietly at first.  “Wake up Garnet!” she tried a little louder.

            After no response, a tentative hand was reached out and touched the sleeping woman’s shoulder.  Immediately, a large hand latched onto her wrist and Garnet was on her feet.  Pearl didn’t dare to move a muscle.

            “Hey,” she smiled despite the dramatic spike in her heart rate.

            The curly haired woman’s rapid breathing slowed down as her head scanned the room.

            “You’re in the Universe’s house, we just finished cleaning up, and Amethyst and her sister have left,” Pearl informed.

            “Oh…” Garnet quickly released the thin wrist.  “I-I should probably call my mums then and have them pick me up.  I didn’t want to take their car away from them.”

            “No need, Greg will give you a ride back, he’s outside right now.”

            “Oh, ok, thanks,” the dark woman sheepishly grinned.

            The two walked to the entrance, grabbed their jackets and headed out.  During the drive over Steven chatted excitedly with them as he recounted his favorite moments of the night.  When they arrived, Pearl and Steven got out with Garnet and walked her to the door.

            “Good night Garnet!” Steven smiled as he gave her a hug.

            Garnet returned his gesture.  “Good night Steven, thanks for inviting me over, it was a lot of fun."

            “We’ll do it again before long,” he grinned.

            “I can’t wait.”

            Steven rushed back to the van, purposefully giving the two women some privacy in their good-bye.  Pearl scratched the back of her neck.

            “Thanks for the evening, and the talk,” Garnet spoke first.

            “Of course!  I uhh…really enjoyed it.”

            “Good night?”

            “Good night,” Pearl grinned.

            The dark woman nodded and opened the door to her house.  Faded blue flats turned to walk towards the waiting van.

            “Wait,” came the quiet call of Garnet’s voice.

            Feet halted, just teetering over the edge of the porch.

            “Stay…please.”

            Pearl turned around to look at Garnet who was just staring into her house with the door open.  Reflective sunglasses glanced back at her.

            “I…I don’t want to sleep alone.”

            Thin lips parted in surprise and Pearl’s heart started pounding in her chest.

            “I-I, uhhh…” she stammered as she was unable to reply at first.

            “Sorry, I shouldn’t impose on you like that,” Garnet quickly backtracked as she began to walk into her house.

            “No!” Pearl followed her.  “No, you’re not imposing at all,” she reached out.

            The curly haired woman stopped.  “You want to stay the night?  With me?”

            “Yes.”

            Garnet turned around to face her.  “Thank you,” she breathed out.

            “Of course,” the pale woman grinned side-ways.  “I should go let Greg know that so he and Steven can head out.”

            “Right,” the taller woman quickly agreed.

            Pearl hopped over to the van and quickly explained that she would be staying the night at Garnet’s request.  Greg made no comment and just said she could call him whenever she needed a ride back to the house.  The pale woman then followed Garnet into her house.  Her stomach tied itself into a million knots as they both hung up their jackets, and removed shoes.

            “Garnet?” A voice called down the stairs.

            Sapphire and Ruby appeared seconds later.

            “Back from the game night?” Sapphire inquired.

            “Yeah, heading to bed, really tired.  We had a really good time though,” Garnet replied.  “Pearl is staying the night.”

            “Oh…!  Thanks for letting us know.”

            Pearl knew Ruby was most likely glaring at her, but she didn’t dare to look at the older woman and chose instead to focus on Sapphire.  The daughter walked up the stairs to give her mothers a hug and a kiss on the cheek each.  After that the two mothers went back upstairs and Garnet motioned for Pearl to follow her.  Even with the knots in her stomach, the organ was still managing to flip itself over and back under multiple times.  The idea of being in Garnet’s room and sleeping in her bed sent Pearl through a whirlwind of emotions.  Just the mere sight of the familiar piece of furniture turned her cheeks bright red at the memories of the many things they did on it together.

_Get a grip!  We’re just sleeping on the bed together.  Right?_

            Garnet had initiated their kiss earlier, was the dark woman wanting to take it further?  The thin woman wasn’t sure if she was ready for that mentally, physically, yes.  The silent woman had walked into her bathroom and then came out a couple minutes later brushing her teeth and holding something in her hand.  Light blue eyes glanced down at the object as it was offered to her.  A purple toothbrush still in its plastic container.

            “Thank you!” Pearl took the object and broke it out.  “May I?” she motioned to the bathroom.

            Garnet nodded.

            Pearl walked into the bathroom for some toothpaste and immediately regretted it.  The dark woman’s preferred scent of Old Spice hung lightly in the air, as it always did in the woman’s bathroom.  It invaded the pale woman’s nostrils the same way it would when Garnet would hover over her, her powerful body between Pearl’s thin legs as skilled fingers rapidly worked her sensitive nub and thick lips captured hers.  Pearl squeezed a large glob of toothpaste onto the toothbrush, her face burning from the memory, and began to furiously brush her teeth as if it would rid her mind of those scenes and the pulse between her legs.

_We aren’t doing that.  Neither of us are ready.  It’s just a simple need for comfort._

            It took a couple of minutes to finish brushing her teeth and getting her mind clear.  Garnet came in and spat out her toothpaste as well.  After that they both walked towards the bed.

            “I’m not really going to get ready for bed any more than this and changing into some sweatpants,” the dark woman motioned to her current attire from the party.

            “Th-that’s fine,” Pearl stuttered.  “I’ll just be wearing this too.”

            “Right, you don’t have anything here…” Garnet scratched the back of her neck.  “Look, let’s just slide in.  I just wanted to, you know hold you like we did back at Yellow Diamond’s base.”

            “Yeah, that sounds good to me.  Um…” Pearl glanced around, light eyes catching the bottle of pills on Garnet’s dresser.  “Is it ok if I take one of your sleeping pills?  They probably prescribed us the same stuff.”

            “Go right ahead, I’m not going to.”

            “Thanks.”

            The strawberry blonde walked over, picked up the bottle, saw that it was the same, and quickly swallowed one.

            “Are you working tomorrow?” Pearl inquired as she pulled out her phone and set an alarm that would give herself enough time to go back home and then get to work.

            “Yes and no.  I’m not on official duty, but Jasper needs me to write up all my reports and evidence against Yellow Diamond as soon as possible so we can get her arrested.  I’ll be heading into work at 8am.  You?”

            “8am as well, gotta earn some money.  Yellow Diamond never got around to paying me for all the meth I made for her.”

            The dark woman nodded in understanding as she pulled back the covers and slipped into her bed.  Despite the nervousness jumbling her digestive tract, Pearl got into the bed with Garnet.  After some adjustments to accommodate Pearl’s injured side and the stitches in Garnet’s arm, the two settled in softly holding onto each other.  With one final good night, the two drifted off to sleep together.

 

            Sleeping with Garnet in her house was different from the times they held each other back in the twin-sized bed.  Throughout the night, Pearl was woken up by the dark woman’s tighter grip as she fought through the nightmares in her mind.  The pale woman would hold her back just as tight and whisper in her ear that she was safe and that it was just a dream.  Eventually, Garnet’s grip would loosen and her breathing would slow down as she eased back into restful sleep.

            Thin fingers reached out for the comfort of the other woman’s presence as Pearl’s rest was disturbed by her nightmare.  When the fingers found the spot where Garnet had been empty, light blue eyes opened up and scanned the nearly pitch-black room.  Hands searched the bed as eyes adjusted to the darkness, straining to absorb any piece of light.  Finally, the pads of her fingers came in contact with Garnet’s warm, firm back.  Pearl sat up gingerly and scooted closer so she could hold onto the woman from the side.  The dark woman didn’t pull away, but she didn’t return the embrace.  A soft sigh was let out as the pale woman rested her head on Garnet’s shoulder.

            “You lied to me,” the low accusation cut through the warm atmosphere like a blade of ice.

            “What?” Pearl responded, her sleep fogged mind suddenly working overtime to figure out why Garnet had said that.

            “About Yellow Diamond.”

            “What did I lie to you about her?”

            “I asked you if there was anyone who might be after you just after the mechanic shop fire and you said you couldn’t think of anyone.  Yellow Diamond had contacted you by then and you said nothing.”

            “I-”

            “You also lied about Steven.  You said only you, me, Greg, and S knew that Steven was Rose’s son.  And you said that only you, me, and Greg knew where he lived.  Yellow Diamond knew exactly who I was, there was no way she picked Steven out on random, she knew how much he meant to you and wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet her former business partner’s son.”

            Pearl pulled away, staring down at the bed.  “What did you expect me to do?  Tell you that one of the largest Drug Lords in the country was walking through trying to recruit me as a meth cook?”

            Garnet was silent.

            “It wouldn’t have changed anything, she would have kidnapped them one way or another.”

            “We could have at least been prepared and had time to pull on extra help to combat her.  Your omission of that pertinent information made it so we started twenty steps behind her instead of ten,” the curly haired woman countered.

            “If you had tried to confront her head on she would have killed you and anyone who got in the way of her plans.  Telling you about her was too risky.”

            “We all suffered Pearl.  Steven, Amethyst, both of us, and even Jasper and Bismuth got hurt!  Not to mention their families who were worried sick about them for those two months.  How much of all of this could have been avoided if you had just said _something_ regarding Yellow Diamond?”

            The pale woman gripped the edge of her shirt.  “I have no idea of knowing how things would have gone if I had said something.  It could have been easier, it could have been prevented, or it could have been worse.  I regret not doing anything and thinking that I could handle Yellow Diamond on my own.  But there’s nothing I can do to change that.  It’s done.  It happened and now we are left to pick up our pieces.”

            No response came from Garnet.  For several minutes the two just sat there on the bed in complete silence, Pearl growing more uncomfortable with each passing moment.

            “Please say something Garnet,” she softly begged.

            “I-I don’t know what I’m doing,” came the eventual response.

            “About what?”

            “Us.”

            “Us?” the thin woman was not expecting that.

            “I kissed you.  We made-out.  I asked you to stay over.  We slept in my bed together.”

            “Do you regret it?” Pearl asked carefully.

            “No,” the dark woman breathed out heavily.  “I enjoyed it.  I slept better tonight than I did the past two nights.  What about you?”

            Thin arms wrapped around Garnet’s waist and Pearl pulled herself against the strong woman’s back.  Closed lips were pressed to the top of Garnet’s shoulder.

            “I enjoyed it too, and there was nowhere else I wanted to be last night more than here with you.”

            “I’m…I’m scared.”

            The pale woman waited for Garnet to elaborate.

            “I’m afraid I’m making a mistake by letting you in again.  I’m scared that if I do, you’ll hurt me again,” came Garnet’s voice, thick with emotion.

            Pearl held onto the curly haired woman tighter, pressing her face into the strong back.

            “I managed to recover from our first break up, but after all of this shit with Yellow Diamond, if something similar were to happen again if I let you in…I wouldn’t be the same.  I’m not the same anyway!”

            “No one expects you to be the same.  How could you after all that you’ve been through?”

            “I-I don’t know what to do with you,” the dark woman admitted.  “Half of me wants to never let you go while the other half wants to scream at you for everything you’ve done to hurt me.”

            “I’m sorry,” the pale woman whispered.  “I’m so sorry.”

            Warm arms were laid over hers with fingers holding on the back of her hands as Garnet’s frame shook silently.

            “C-can-can I trust you?”

            “Yes.”

            “C-can you trust me?”

            Pearl was surprised by the question at first, but then remembered that was why she had broken up with Garnet in the first place.  She slid around Garnet so she was kneeling in front of the woman with folded muscular legs resting between hers.  In the dim light, she gently cupped Garnet’s face with both of her hands, her thumbs feeling the dampness on square cheeks.

            “You have been the most consistent person in my life.  You loved me unconditionally, you tolerated me and treated me fairly when I was being awful to you, and you gave everything you could to fix my mess.  I can trust you with my life, and the lives of those who matter most to me.”

_Including you._

            “I will never _ever_ hurt you like that again and I will never leave your side.”

            Garnet swallowed heavily before arms pulled their bodies flush against each other and the curly haired woman pressed her face into Pearl’s chest and continued to cry.  Warm, salty tears ran down the pale woman’s face as she cradled the hurting woman’s head.  She tilted her head down to kiss the top of Garnet’s head, only able to get so far before she simply placed the kiss amongst the thick curls halting any further descent.  As they held onto each other, a feeling swelled inside of Pearl’s chest.  She knew this feeling, it was like how she felt towards Steven and Amethyst, but so much stronger.  It terrified her as much as it spouted another wave of tears.

_I-I love you…_

            After all of their tears had run dry, the two fell asleep in each other’s arms until Pearl’s alarm went off in what seemed like only minutes later.  Conversation was minimal as they got up and the pale woman was able to send a message to Greg letting him know that she was ready to be picked up.  It seemed that the cell phone company had processed Greg’s credit card and the pale woman finally had full use of her phone.  Garnet silently walked Pearl to the door when Greg replied saying that he would be over in only a few minutes.

            “Thank you, for staying the night with me,” the curly haired woman softly stated as she scratched the back of her neck.

            “Of course,” Pearl smiled.  “Any time you need me to, just let me know.  My phone is working now so we can contact each other easier.”

            Garnet nodded and shuffled her feet slightly.  “I…I don’t know yet what to do about us.  If there is an us or anything,” she brought up.

            “Take the time you need.  I intend to be by your side as a friend unless you tell me otherwise,” Pearl stated.

            “Thank you,” Garnet shyly replied.

            Yellow light flashed through the front window signaling the arrival of Greg Universe.  The two women embraced each other for a moment before Pearl headed out the door.  As Pearl silently rode in the van she decided it was time for her to read Garnet’s letter to her.  She needed to know what Garnet had said back then.  Unfortunately, she would have to wait until after work before she would be able to do that.

           

            Pearl worked quickly and efficiently, while minding her injuries and limitations, throughout the day.  Cars came and left, minutes turned into hours, and the sun steadily moved across the sky.  As it neared the end of the working hours for the mechanic shop, Pearl saw a police car pull up and park in front of the rolling metal door.  The pale woman nervously wiped her oily hands with a semi-clean cloth.  Officer Lazuli stepped out of the driver’s side and walked casually up to the open garage.

            “What can we do for you Officer Lazuli?” Mr. Mechanic greeted as he moved to intercept the woman first.

            “Just here to deliver a message to Pearl,” she simply stated.

            “I see, Pearl is just in the garage, you can come right in,” he nodded and then walked back over to the car he was working on.

            The pale woman continued to nervously rub her hands on the now greasy cloth.

            “Pearl Meyers, you have been summoned to the police station for an important meeting at 6:00pm tonight.”

            “Wh-what for?” Pearl unintentionally stuttered.

            Lapis raised an eyebrow at her.  “You really need to be told what it’s about?”

            “Oh, right…” she awkwardly laughed as her mind quickly filled in the implied reason for the meeting.  “I’ll be there on time.  Thanks for letting me know.”

            “No problemo, my work is done here.  I’ll see you at the meeting.”

            With that Officer Lazuli spun on her heel and walked back to her police car.  Light blue eyes watched the black and white vehicle drive away.  A heavy sigh was pushed past thin lips.  Mr. Mechanic made no comment on the officer’s visit and simply wished her a good day as he closed up the shop.  Pearl walked home and had a quick dinner before she, Steven, and Greg all drove to the police station.  The trio walked in and were directed to the only conference room in the building.  Through the soundproof glass, the pale woman saw Garnet, Amethyst, her parents, Jasper, Sugilite, Bismuth, and Lapis occupying the various chairs.  Steven grinned and ran over to the chair that Amethyst had saved for him.  The two hugged each other and began to chat about their day.  Pearl found an open spot across from Garnet and sat down.  Greg took a seat next to Amethyst’s dad.  Garnet was slouching in her chair, with her arms folded tightly just under her chest.  She wore a simple Beach City Police polo, black slacks, and her usual reflective sunglasses.  Jasper cleared her throat calling for everyone to quiet down and pay attention to her.  Pearl noticed that the muscular woman was still wearing the bandage over her nose, which was odd since Bismuth was no longer wearing her sling.

            “I’m sure you all are not wondering why I called this meeting,” Jasper began, her loud voice cutting off any more of Pearl’s internal musings.  “Well in case you were wondering, we are here to address the proactive measures we need to take to ensure everyone’s safety following Yellow Diamond’s kidnapping of Steven and Amethyst and their rescue.”  Bruised arms were rested on the table.  “I’m not going to sugarcoat anything.  As soon as we were able to, federal agents and SWAT teams rushed Yellow Diamond’s complex only to find that the place was completely empty.”

            Several people gasped in surprise.

            _Of course it was…_

“Currently the federal agents and other big fancy officers are doing their best to try and locate the woman and arrest her for kidnapping, extortion, attempted manslaughter, sexual assault, battery, and a whole shit ton more things.”  Thick fingers were threaded together as amber eyes looked at everyone in the room in turn.  “That means that all of you are potentially still in danger, some more than others.  Obviously.”  Jasper took a deep breath.  “The Witness Protection Program can help protect people before, during, and after a trial.  However, since there is no trial, since we didn’t catch her, their help is limited in our case.  Sugilite, Bismuth, and I will be handling our own safety and have chosen to remain in our areas for the time being.  Steven, Amethyst, Pearl, Garnet, and your respective families, all of you need to decide what course of action would be best.  When Yellow Diamond returns for revenge, you four will be highest on her list.  My personal suggestion would be to erase your trail, move, and reset your lives.  All things that those of us in the Beach City Police department will be more than happy to help with.”

            “Move?” Steven spoke first.  “But to where?  This is where I grew up, this is Amethyst’s home, we can’t just leave.”

            “Hey Stewball, it’s just the first idea,” Greg gently spoke as he rested a hand on his worried son’s shoulder.  “Do we know how long we have?”

            Amber eyes rotated to look right at Pearl.  The pale woman swallowed.

            “A couple of months at best.  She will lie low, recover, and prepare before striking again.  The sooner we take action the better.  Any digital connections or ties will need to be erased, she has a very good information team that can track any thread they find,” Pearl supplied.

            “What other options are there?” Mrs. Perez spoke up.

            “You can stay in Beach City, but know that federal and state help will be practically nonexistent, and the Beach City police department is no match if Yellow Diamond shows up and flexes her muscle.  We will try to protect you as best as we can, but if push comes to shove, we will probably lose,” Jasper stated.

            “I see,” Mrs. Perez frowned.

            “We can talk with the schools and see if they can accelerate Amethyst’s graduation from high school and Steven’s graduation from middle school.  Moving in the middle of the year will be difficult, especially for the last year,” Mr. Perez added.

            “Yeah!” Amethyst piped up.  “With my diploma I can either start working or head off to college.  I’ve been sending in applications and Peri is even planning on heading to a school in California.  I could go there.”

            “California would be a good distance away from here, lots of big cities you could get lost in too,” Jasper mused.  “We aren’t going to make any decisions tonight, I’m giving you all until the end of the week when we meet up again to talk about what you would like to do.  As for a simple timeline, after this week the plan should be put into action and be completed in a month.  I advise you to not publish any of your actions or inquiries so there is a smaller chance of your movements being tracked.  I’m sorry we can’t provide better protection for you, but we will help you as much as possible.”

            Without much more conversation, the short meeting was closed and the various individuals parted ways.  The air was thick with low whispers and tension.  Their victory was short lived.  Until Yellow Diamond was caught they were in danger.  During the drive home, Pearl didn’t engage in the conversation between Greg and Steven as they tossed around places that Steven might want to move to.

            _There really is no other option.  We have to disappear and erase our trail._

When they arrived, Pearl excused herself to her room.  Steven and Greg wished her a good night and told her they would inform her of their decision on what course of action to take.  Faded blue flats flopped up the wooden stairs to the pale woman’s temporary room.  She fell back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling, her body melting into the mattress.  The longer she laid there, the less likely she was to get back up.  Eyes rotated in her skull to look at the top drawer of the dresser.  A pathetic whine escaped her lips, she really didn’t feel like opening the envelope, she just felt like sleeping.

            _I need to know.  If I’m going to be spending more time with Garnet, I need to know what she said._

It felt like she was pushing through millions of threads that were tying her down.  Each one snapping and breaking as her limbs and torso lifted off of the mattress.  Finally, she was on her feet walking over to the dresser.  With a deep breath, the top drawer was opened, revealing the two items contained within.  A smile crept onto thin lips as Pearl lovingly picked up the jewelry box, opened it, and set it on the top of the dresser.  The oval pearl shined in the synthetic light created by the light bulbs fitted into the ceiling.  Garnet’s token of her love gave Pearl the nudge she needed to grab the orange envelope.  The thin woman walked over to her bed as she reached for her switchblade.  For a few seconds, her hand felt around for the object only to remember yet again that she had lost it at Yellow Diamond’s place.  An exasperated groan crawled up from her chest and jumped into the air.

            _That’s another thing to add to my “To Buy” list._

Pearl shook the folder down, hoping all of its contents fell away from the top, and began to carefully tear away the first quarter of an inch.  With an opening formed, a finger was inserted and used like a very dull knife to unevenly rip open the envelope.  After another deep breath, Pearl reached in, grabbed the thick stack of papers inside, pulled them out, and set them on her bed with a muffled thud.  Light blue eyes narrowed in confusion when the first thing she saw was not Garnet’s handwriting, but a paper with some person’s face on it along with basic profile and contact information.  Hands flipped the paper over to see what was on the next sheet.  The same thing, but a different face and information.  Pearl frantically riffled through the twenty pages of various names and faces until she spotted the one thing she was really looking for.  Garnet’s blocky handwriting was a little messier than usual, obviously rushed.

            _I don’t blame her._

The note was held carefully between thin fingers.

 

            Pearl,

 

            I started working on this soon after you told me about what happened to your             family.  Originally, I was going to give this to you as a present, but that’s not             going to happen now.

            This is your family, all of them that I could find.  Even though you clearly didn’t             want to be a part of my family, I still wanted to give you this chance to be with             yours.

            You will never know how much you hurt me.  I loved you with all my heart and you             just shredded it to bits.

 

            Goodbye,

            Garnet

 

            Light blue eyes darted back and forth as she read the note several times.  That was it.  No other words or notes composed by Garnet were contained within the papers.  At first Pearl was a bit disappointed, but then it made perfect sense.  Garnet was never a super wordy person and writing this much must have been really hard for her.

            _My family?_

Hands quickly sorted the papers back in order and she began to read them, softly sitting down on her bed.  Some of them had Meyers as the last name, others had her mother’s maiden name, and some had completely different ones.  On each paper was a relationship tie.  Aunts, cousins, in-laws, uncles, grandparents, etc., from both sides of her family.  Some were deceased, others were alive and had addresses, phone numbers, and even emails listed.  The more she read, the more her hands trembled as she remembered.  She still had family!  She could find them!  They would-

            _Would they even want to see me?_

_Why would they want to see you?  You’re a disgrace._

            _Meth cook, murderer, homeless, penniless, lesbian, smoker.  You’re probably everything they don’t want back in their family._

Pearl hesitated, her excitement slowly wilting.

            _What are you going to do?  Show up on their doorstep begging for a place to live with a Drug Lord on your trail?_

            _And endanger them like you did to Steven and Amethyst?_

The pale woman grabbed Garnet’s note and read it again.

            _I need to talk to Garnet._

_Why would she want to talk to you about this?!_

_Can’t you see how much you hurt her?_

_You don’t deserve her.  Not her kisses, not her touches, and certainly not her trust._

Hands were clamped over ears in an attempt to silence the voices coming from her own mind.

            _Look at what you’ve done.  Look at what you’ve become._

_They would never recognize you anyway._

_How could they care for someone who forgot they existed?_

_I didn’t intentionally forget!_

Tears ran down her cheeks as Pearl fell to the floor, landing on her knees.  The voices inside only grew louder until it was a deafening roar.

            _YOU ARE WORTHLESS!_

_IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER HAD YOU DIED WITH YOUR FAMILY!_

_HOW DARE YOU THINK YOU COULD RECONNECT WITH THEM!_

_YOU WILL ONLY BE A BLACK SHEEP IN THEIR PERFECT LIVES!_

_THEY ARE BETTER OFF BELIEVING YOU’RE DEAD!_

_HOW CAN YOU THINK YOU COULD HAVE A SECOND CHANCE WITH GARNET!_

_SHE DOESN’T DESERVE WHAT YOU’LL PUT HER THROUGH!_

_YOU DON’T DESERVE GARNET!_

_YOU DON’T DESERVE A FAMILY!_

_YOU DON’T DESERVE A HAPPY ENDING!_

Pearl continued to sob as the thoughts consumed her.  They were right.  She didn’t deserve anything, she just needed to disappear so she can stop hurting everyone around her.

            _You should go back to Yellow Diamond.  At least you’re worth something to her._

_If you went back, Steven and Amethyst would be safe.  They wouldn’t have to move._

_It’s because of you they are going to be ripped from their lives._

_You piece of selfish shit._

“PEEEAARRRLLLL!!”

            The familiar cheery voice called up the stairs, accompanied by the approaching footfalls on the wooden stairs.  Desperately, the pale woman pushed through the thoughts consuming her as she looked up from her curled position on the floor.  She didn’t want Steven to see her like this, but it was inevitable.  The round teen jumped up the last couple of steps, smiling widely.  However, it quickly fell as he saw the emotional state Pearl was in.

            “Pearl?  Are you ok?” his young voice was laced with concern.

            “I-I’m-I’m fine Steven,” the pale woman automatically lied as she crawled back into a sitting position.

            “But you’re crying and…” his eyes swept over the various pieces of paper laying on the bed and floor.

            Pearl pulled back slightly when Steven sat down next to her with a look of determination on his face.

            “You’re hurting too, aren’t you?”

            A stray tear was pushed away by the palm of her hand.  “Yes.”

            “Is it because of these?  Or is it from what happened with Yellow Diamond?”

            “A little bit of both,” she pathetically laughed.

            “Is there anything I can do…to help?”

            Genuine laughter escaped from Pearl’s lips as she pulled him in for a sideways hug.  “By being you and telling me what you were so excited about,” she expertly changed topics.

            “Oh!” his wide smile returned.  “Come on up Dad!” the teen called down the stairs.  “Dad and I just finished talking.  We have an idea of what we’re planning on doing and I wanted to let you know.”

            “Hey Pearl,” Greg greeted from the stairs.  “Is it ok if I come into your room?”

            “Yes,” the strawberry blonde nodded.

            The long haired man walked in and took a seat next to Steven.

            “So, what’s this grand plan?” Pearl nudged.

            “We are changing our names and moving!  Assuming secret identities to thwart the evil Yellow Diamond.  I will become Esteban DeMayo, a boy with a ukulele and a dark secret kept tightly locked away.  Dad will be…” he motioned for Greg to step in.

            “George DeMayo, former business owner now looking for a new opportunity.”

            “DeMayo?” Pearl raised an eyebrow.  “Esteban and George?”

            “My original last name actually,” Greg rubbed the back of his neck.  “I changed it to Universe when I left home to become a rock star.”

            “The Esteban might not be 100% for sure, Steven is a pretty common name,” the young teen chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck.

            “I see…” Pearl blinked.  “So you two are going to move?  Where to?”

            “Well…” Greg rested his arm against the side of the bed.  “We were actually thinking of California, somewhere close to where Amethyst might end up.  One of my aunts moved to that state, so we have at least one contact there.  I figured I’d sell the carwash and possibly this place too, and use the money to hopefully get us into a nice place.  Well, if you’re ok with me selling the house.”

            “The house belongs to you two,” the pale woman waved off.  “It was my gift.”

            “And you can come with us!” Steven jumped in.

            “You sure you still want me around?  I’m the one Yellow Diamond is going to be looking for.”

            Steven and Greg shared a look.

            “I don’t want to leave you too,” Steven frowned, “but I don’t want to force you to come with us.”

            “You are part of our family Pearl,” the father added.  “We would like you to be with us, just you know…let us know if any Drug Lords start showing up, ok?”

            Fresh tears began to silently roll down her cheeks.  They were quickly swiped at by thin fingers, futile attempts to stop the cascade of salty water.

            “Thank you,” she croaked.  Pearl exhaled heavily.  “I’ll think about it, and let you know what I decide ok?”

            Steven excitedly nodded.  “It will be a great adventure.  I know I’m going to miss Beach City and all my friends, especially Connie, but we can always come back and visit too.”

            “That’s right,” Greg agreed.  “We may have to leave, but that doesn’t mean we can’t come back.  And who knows?  Maybe Yellow Diamond will get caught and everything will get sorted out.”

            “Positivity!” Steven cheered.

            “Yup, positivity,” the father grinned.

            “Heh,” Pearl let out a single chuckle.  “Positivity,” she mused.  “It wouldn’t hurt I guess.”

            “Yeah!”

            “Thanks for letting me know what you two were thinking of doing, it will definitely help me in my decision,” the pale woman smiled as she stood up, gathering a couple of the papers in the process.

            “Of course,” Greg shrugged as he stood up.  “It would be rude not to let you know.  Take your time with your decision, we are more than willing to help you either way.”

            “Thank you.”

            The middle aged man headed down the stairs with a wave.  Steven picked up a few pieces of paper alongside Pearl.  He paused as his curious mind read a couple of the profiles.

            “Hey!  This person lives in California too and they have your last name.  Are they your family or something?”

            Pearl turned to look at the one Steven was showing her.

            “Oh, that’s my cousin actually.  She’s just a few years older than me.”  Light blue eyes narrowed as she read the listed address.  “And she is in California.  Weird, seems that everyone is either going to or already living in that state.”

            “Must be a good place then.  You could come with us and spend some time with your cousin!” Steven added.

            The thin woman laughed.  “Possibly,” she smiled as she took the papers from his hand.

            Steven stayed in her room as she organized the papers and put them back into the orange envelope.  They chatted back and forth about their day and whatever random topic the teenage boy brought up.  Through the conversations, Pearl’s mind noted that several of her family members from the Meyers side all lived relatively close in California.  Perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea to move to that state after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The orange envelope was finally opened after 18 chapters! Were you surprised? And things are definitely changing between Pearl and Garnet.
> 
> One quick question. I was considering making Blue Diamond be Islamic in this fic. While it would be great for diversity and gives me an opportunity to tie religious meaning to her head covering, I also realize that having a Drug Lord be Islamic is not good for positive representation of the Islamic religion. I would like to hear your thoughts on the subject on if I should move forward with it or go a different route. Thank you!
> 
> You know, the more I think about it, the less it seems like a good idea. There are other characters, good characters (to be implemented in future works of mine) that can be written as Islamic instead of one of the Drug Lords. So as of now, Blue Diamond won't be written as Islamic within the Smoke and Grit AU, but that I will handle her character differently.


	34. Making a Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The letter has finally been opened, Garnet and Pearl shared a kiss, and everyone needs to make plans for Yellow Diamond's inevitable return. It's time to make a plan.  
> There is a spot that will have the /*** and ***\ markers, but it's also right next to a very important conversation. I'll do my best to mark it and leave enough so anyone skipping won't be lost.  
> Lastly, I recommend everyone listening to this song, "Scared to be Lonely" by Martin Garrix & Dua Lipa that IceHeart mentioned! It fits very well with this chapter and the story overall. Another good song for this chapter is "Home is Such a Lonely Place" by Blink 182.
> 
> Also Happy Birthday to Tigerlillyruiz!! Hope you have a great day!

^^^^^^

Plans are made to leave Beach City.  Garnet is unsure on where she wants to go.

^^^^^^

 

            A panicked gasp burst from full lips as Garnet shot into a sitting position.  Uncovered eyes scanned the dim room for any shady figures or for the faces of those that had been tormenting her in the dreamscape.  When none were found, the stressed woman took several deep breaths.

            _This is reality.  I am safe.  Those dreams are fake.  This is my reality._

It took a bit of effort for her vice-like grip to release the crumpled-up sheets.  Her right hand slid across the fabric to the other side of the bed, feeling for the person she knew wasn’t there.  Eyes looked down at the spot on the bed Pearl had been laying in just the night before.  A heavy sigh drifted past thick lips, the bad cut in them almost completely healed.  The tired woman glanced at her alarm clock.

            1:38 am.

            It had been only a couple of hours since the last time she woke up.  Eyes rotated to gaze at the bottle of pills sitting just a few inches from her phone.  What if she took two instead of one?  Would she sleep deeper and not have nightmares or would her hallucinations get worse?

            _I can’t risk it._

Garnet laid back down and forced her eyes to close.  She needed to sleep.

 

            By 4:07 am Garnet was awake again, her mind refusing to stay in the horrid dreamscape that continued to play.  With a huff the dark woman decided to get ready for the day.  Falling asleep wasn’t going to happen again.  After getting dressed, she borrowed her mothers’ car and drove to a 24hr superstore an hour away and began to buy the supplies she needed.  Two hours later she was back in Beach City and only blocks away from the police station.  Technically she wasn’t supposed to come in until 8am, but she needed a little extra time to set up the gifts.  By the time she was done setting up it was almost 8am, so Garnet just took a seat at her desk and continued to work on her reports about staying undercover at Yellow Diamond’s place.  The front door opening and closing harshly let the curly haired cop know that Jasper had arrived.

            “BALLOONS?!  What are all these balloons doing in here-”

            Out of the corner of her sunglasses, Garnet watched Jasper’s face of annoyance morph into something softer.  The captain walked up to her desk.  Two dozen balloons with an assortment of words printed onto them were weighted down on the desk with a small bag and card set in the middle.

            “Heh,” came the chuckle, “I am awesome,” she stated as a finger poked the “You’re Awesome!” balloon.

            The muscular woman sat down as she opened the small bag, casually tossing the tissue paper into the overflowing waste basket stationed to the side of her desk, and then reading the card.

            “Bailey!”

            “Yes?” Garnet turned to the captain.

            “You didn’t have to,” Jasper motioned to the gifts.

            “I wanted to.”

            A genuine smile formed on the sandy haired woman’s mouth.  “Thank you.  Feels good to be appreciated.  Also, I would have given you some serious shit if Sugilite got something and I didn’t.”

            Covered eyes glanced at the currently unoccupied desk and the fewer number of balloons tied to it.

            “I may not remember everything that happened, but I do know what I’ve been told,” the curly haired officer smiled.

            Jasper stood up and walked over to Garnet, spreading her arms out wide.  “I’m going to hug you,” the muscular woman stated.

            “Oh-um.”

            Garnet stood up and was promptly hugged by her captain.  The smaller officer hugged her back.

            “I’m glad you’re back,” Jasper quickly admitted as she released Garnet.  “And I have this for you,” she pulled out a small, lined piece of paper and placed it in the athletic woman’s hands.

            Garnet looked down at it and silently read the names and locations listed.  A frown quirked onto her lips as she sat down.  Jasper sighed.

            “I know you’re a ‘do it yourself, tough it out’ kinda gal, but I also know your PTSD is going to give you one hell of a time.  Talkin’ with someone, especially a professional, can help a lot.  There are some of the recommendations for therapists that Dr. Maheswaran gave me to give to you.”

            “Thanks…” the curly haired cop nodded as she put the piece of paper away in her pocket.

            Jasper also bobbed her head in agreement before clapping Garnet on the shoulder and striding back over to her decorated desk.  It wasn’t long before everyone was mulling about; busy with the day’s mundane tasks and the occasional emergency.  At five o’clock Garnet wrapped up her report writing for the day and headed back home.  With a wave, she bade farewell to her fellow officers.

            Sapphire and Ruby greeted her cheerfully as she walked into her house.

            “How was work today?” Ruby inquired from her seat across from Garnet at the dinner table.

            “Same ol’, just writing up everything that happened at Yellow Diamond’s base.  Well, everything that I remember.  There were lots of names and faces to detail,” Garnet shrugged.

            “Was it hard on you to remember those things?” Sapphire cautiously pried.

            The daughter swallowed the food in her mouth.  “It’s painful, but necessary.”

            “I see.”

            “Don’t get defensive with us again Garnet,” Ruby quickly jumped in.  “We just want to make sure you’re doing ok.  The both of us can’t stay for too much longer before our jobs require us to head back to Jersey.”

            “I’m not making you stay, I can handle things on my own,” Garnet said defensively.

            Ruby raised an eyebrow at her daughter.

            “I’m sorry,” the tallest sighed as she set down her silverware.  “That was rude.  It’s been very helpful to me to have the both of you with me for almost the past two weeks.  I wouldn’t have been able to pull through things without your help.  I just don’t want you both feeling like you can’t leave.  I’m doing much better and will be fine on my own.”

            Sapphire and Ruby nodded.

            “You didn’t sleep well again last night, did you?” Sapphire slightly changed topics.

            “No, I didn’t.”

            “Did you take your medication?” Ruby asked.

            “No.”

            “Why not?  It’s supposed to help you sleep-”

            “Not sleeping is better than getting hallucinations, Mum,” Garnet sharply interrupted.  “Sorry,” she sighed again.

            The two mothers exchanged a worried expression.

            “Well, just so you know, we were planning on staying until the end of the week.  Once you’ve had the second meeting with Jasper about what to do concerning Yellow Diamond, we were going to head home,” the long-haired mother informed.

            “That sounds like a good plan,” Garnet nodded.  “You two are welcome to stay in my house any time.  Thank you for all of the support, love, patience, and help you have given to me over these past few weeks.  I really do appreciate it.”

            “Of course!” Ruby stated loudly.  “What kind of parents would we be if we didn’t?”

            “We’ll always be here for you, but we know you also desire your freedom and your personal space,” Sapphire nodded.

            “Thank you,” the daughter finished.

            Dinner was completed without too much more conversation.  Garnet washed the dishes while Ruby and Sapphire put away all of the food they had cooked.  Inside her pocket, Garnet’s phone vibrated, informing her that she had an incoming message.  After drying off her hands, the dark woman pulled out the electronic device.

            Pearl- [This is Pearl.  Can we talk?  I need to talk to you about something important.]

            Eyebrows were pulled together in confusion underneath reflective sunglasses.

            Garnet- [Hi Pearl.  Yeah, we can talk.  Where do you want to meet up?]

            Pearl- [Hi!  Probably not outside, it’s very cold.  Would it be ok if I came over to your place?  If not we can meet up in Steven’s house.]

            Garnet- [No, that’s totally fine.  I’ll come pick you up so you don’t have to walk in the cold.]

            Pearl- [Oh, thank you!  See you soon?]

            Garnet- [Five min eta.]

            Pearl- [Ok!]

            The curly haired woman put away her phone and quickly finished the dishes.

            “Is it alright if I take your car for a short drive?  Just going to get Pearl,” she casually asked of her mothers.

            “Go ahead,” Sapphire permitted.

            “Pearl?” Ruby frowned.  “Why is she coming over?”

            “She said she wanted to talk about something important.”

            “We will give you two the space you need,” Sapphire stated before Ruby could voice her objection.

            “Thanks Mum,” Garnet quickly bowed her head before heading outside with the keys to the car.

            Snow crunched and compacted under the tires as the curly haired woman steadily made her way to the Universe’s house.  Hands gripped the steering wheel, rotating slightly back and forth around the curved cylindrical object.  The house came into view and she parked.  Long legs quickly moved across the snow-covered sand and up the stairs.  It took only a few moments after knocking for the door to open.

            “Garnet!” Steven cheerfully greeted.

            “Hey, Steven,” Garnet grinned.  “How are you doing?”

            “Pretty good today!  Just got a lot of work from my teachers and principal.  The sooner I finish it the quicker I can graduate.”

            “Wow, well then I won’t distract you too much.  Is Pearl here?  I’m here to pick her up.”

            “Yeah she is, come on in!” Steven motioned for her to step into the house.  “PEARL!!  GARNET IS HERE FOR YOU!” he shouted.

            “Coming!” Pearl’s voice drifted from above.

            Feet rapidly descended down the stairs and the pale woman emerged with her jacket on and an orange envelope in her hand.  Garnet swallowed when she noticed the item.

            _Maybe it’s a different envelope._

“Hi,” Pearl shyly greeted.

            “Hey,” Garnet awkwardly smirked.  “Ready?”

            “Yeah,” she immediately nodded.  “See you later Steven, let Greg know I’m out at Garnet’s.”

            “Ok!  Have fun!” the young teen widely smiled.

            “Thanks,” she partially chuckled.

            Their walk to the car was silent as well as the short drive back to Garnet’s house.  Garnet opened the door for Pearl and they stepped into the vacant front room.  A note on the counter informed the dark woman that her mothers had gone for a walk to Funland Arcade and would be back in a couple of hours.  Silently she thanked them for not staying upstairs and eavesdropping on her conversation with Pearl.  Garnet walked over to the couches set in the living room and motioned for Pearl to have a seat.

            “Do you want anything to drink?” the taller woman offered.

            “No thank you,” the thin woman declined as she fidgeted with the envelope in her hands.

            “Alright.”

            Garnet walked over and took a seat on the other side of the couch Pearl was sitting on.  The same couch they had both sat on together all those years ago.  Heavy silence hung between them for a minute or so.

            “You wanted to talk?” the curly haired woman decided to start the conversation.

            “Yes!” the strawberry blonde confirmed as she pulled out the envelope and played with one of the unevenly torn edges.  “I-I, I opened this the other day,” she began.  “I read your note along with everything else in here.”

            Garnet waited for whatever question Pearl was going to ask.

            “Why?”

            A covered eyebrow was raised.  She wasn’t expecting that.

            “Why did you give this to me?  Why did you even compile all of this?” the pale woman asked, her voice a soft whisper.

            The dark woman sighed and scratched the back of her neck.  “I had this idea of presenting this to you soon after I told you what I did for a living.  I wanted to give you a chance to reconnect with your family at the same time hoping you’d want to become more of a part of mine.  It’s a bit stalkerish, true, but most of the information could be found through public searches and family ancestry websites, only for some of it I had to use my police tools and connections.”  Garnet finished her sentence with a shrug.

            “And even after I broke up with you, this is what you wanted to be your last words?”

            Garnet breathed out and rubbed her face.  “Yeah.  There was nothing else I was going to do with it.  I didn’t want to throw away all of my hard work.”  She paused for a second.  “There wasn’t much more I could say to you, I said everything I could before you shot me.”

            Pearl bowed her head and tears began to silently run down her cheeks.  “I’m sorry.  I truly do regret doing that to you.  You didn’t deserve that.  You didn’t deserve any of the things that happened to you that night.”

            “We’ve been over this Pearl,” the curly haired woman sighed as she braced the side of her forehead against her hand that was propped up by the back of the couch.  “You can’t fix the past, you can only move forward.”

            “Right,” the pale woman agreed as she wiped away her tears.  “I wanted to say thank you.  Thank you Garnet for giving me this key to find my family,” she smiled.

            “You’re welcome,” Garnet tried to act nonchalant.  “It’s about 5 years old so don’t be surprised if some of the data, addresses, or numbers are incorrect.  I tried to be accurate, but sometimes you find conflicting information.”

            Light laughter escaped thin lips.  The curly haired woman slightly relaxed at the sound.

            “This is the best chance I’ve ever had at finding them.  Plus,” Pearl pulled out a few papers and began to flip through them, “some of these addresses do sound familiar.  My family used to live in California when I was really little.  Then one year, we moved to the other side of the country.  I never knew why, other than that my father got a better job.  Over time we lost contact with that side of the family.  Biela, my closest cousin, and I even stopped talking by the time I was in middle school.  So, thank you Garnet, you’ve given me something that is priceless.”

            “Glad you like it and aren’t weirded out by it,” Garnet tried with a chuckle.

            Pearl smirked.  “I probably would have teased you about it had you given this to me back then,” she mused.  “But I still would have been just as grateful.”

            The two sat in silence for a moment.  The thin woman cleared her throat before talking.

            “I’ve been talking with Steven and Greg.  They are planning on heading to California, Greg has an aunt that lives there.  My dad’s side of the family, including Biela, are in California too.”

            “Amethyst is thinking of going to California alongside Peridot.  Seems like everyone is heading that direction,” Garnet hummed.

            “What about you?  What are you planning on doing?” Pearl pried.

            “I don’t know,” the dark woman admitted.  “I need to buy a car, sell my house, and get a new job.  A lot to try and do in a month.”

            “You’re not thinking of staying, are you?”

            “It would be easier.”

            “And more dangerous,” Pearl muttered.  “Yellow Diamond is going to check here first.”

            “Can we not talk about this right now?” Garnet suddenly turned away.

            “Sorry,” the pale woman backtracked.  “I just wanted to let you know where some of us were heading so that maybe if you wanted to come along or needed an idea of a place to move to, it would give you one.”

            “Are you asking me to move with you?”  A covered eyebrow was raised.

            “No,” Pearl carefully spoke, “but I am trying to say that I’d rather live nearby you than far away.  You’d be more than welcome to move with us.”

            “I’ll think about it.  Thanks for the information,” Garnet closed the conversation.

            “You’re welcome.”

            Covered eyes were shut as the dark woman relaxed against her couch.  A shift in the piece of furniture informed her that Pearl had stood up.  It took all of her concentration to hear the almost silent feet walk towards the front door.  Garnet’s tongue became heavy as she weighed the words resting on them.

            _Do I dare ask her again?_

The front door opened.

            “I best get going, need to get some rest for work tomorrow,” Pearl tossed over her shoulder.

            _It’s only 8pm._

Garnet’s tongue refused to move.

            “Thank you again Garnet.  I hope you have a good night’s rest.”

            The dark woman threw her pride and stubbornness out the window.  “Will you stay?”

            “What?”

            “Stay.”  Garnet forced herself to stand up and face the woman who had paused at the partially opened door.  “Will you stay and spend the night with me?  Nothing sexual, just the two of us sharing a bed and holding each other.”

            “Like that other night?” Pearl clarified.

            “Yeah,” the curly haired woman scratched the back of her neck.  “That really helped me sleep.”

            A soft smile appeared on thin lips.  “O-of course.  I slept pretty well that night too,” Pearl lightly blushed.

            “Thanks.”

            Since both women were still very tired from their disturbed sleep, they just settled into the bed together after changing into some more comfortable clothing.  Pearl borrowed a pair of sweats and took one of Garnet’s sleeping pills.  Garnet couldn’t help but be reminded of the many times the thin woman had stayed over in the past and needed to wear Garnet’s clothes while hers were washed.  Arms held onto the other, legs were intertwined, and the two fell asleep together.

            Nightmares still invaded the athletic woman’s sleep, but she was able to stay asleep due to the comfort and security Pearl provided.  Nearly ten hours later Garnet woke up.  Pearl was cuddled against her chest, the pale woman’s pointy nose lightly rubbing against the base of her neck.  One leg was draped over her hips, while the other was between her legs.  The dark woman noted that her arms were wrapped around the smaller woman, holding her close.  A smile formed on thick lips and a finger tentatively reached around to brush a strand of hair away from Pearl’s eye.

            Their early morning conversation was about as brief as it had been last time.  However, the two of them agreed that they both slept better together.  Garnet proposed that they continue with this until they decided otherwise.  Pearl quickly agreed.  Ruby and Sapphire voiced only a little bit of concern and dislike for the idea of the pale woman staying over.  When Garnet informed them that it helped her sleep, their protests died down.  Sapphire said that Garnet could make her own decisions and that if it helped, then there was nothing bad about it.  Whereas Ruby had warned her daughter about letting Pearl get too comfortable.  There was a risk that Pearl could hurt her again.  Garnet acknowledged their concerns and informed them that nothing would happen that she wasn’t ok with.

 

            Getting into bed together on Wednesday night was less awkward than before.  A brief exchange of goodnights accompanied arms and legs bringing them together.  Pearl let out a sigh of content as her eyes drifted closed and Garnet swore her heart skipped a beat.

            The dark woman’s sleep was interrupted as she felt dull nails digging into her forearm.  Bleary eyes opened, the nightmarish scenes fleeing from her mind, and examined the pale woman she was currently spooning.  Pearl was nearly curled into the fetal position, her arms wrapped over Garnet’s with her thin fingers gripping Garnet’s forearms.  Strangled sobs wracked her body as tears leaked from firmly closed eyes.  The curly haired woman shifted her arms so her hands were latched onto by Pearl’s death grip.  Eyes looked over the woman again as she debated her next action.  Garnet adjusted her position a little so her mouth was next to the crying woman’s ear.

            “I’m here.  You’re not alone,” she whispered into Pearl’s ear.

            Hands held hers tighter.

            “I’m here with you.”

            Slowly the sobs ebbed off and the pale woman relaxed.  Garnet smiled and let herself drift back to sleep.

 

            A few hours later the pair woke up.  Lazy good mornings were exchanged as they separated from spooning each other.  Garnet found herself frowning as Pearl exited the car and headed up to the Universe’s house to get ready for work.  The dark woman brushed it off and turned the vehicle around to head back to her house, she needed to focus on getting ready for work.  Besides, Pearl would be back in the evening.  Typing up her reports for the day went swiftly.  Before she knew it she was back in her house eating dinner with her mothers.

            “Have you decided on what you’re planning to do in regards to Yellow Diamond?” Sapphire asked as they ate Ruby’s extra, “chase away the cold”, hot chili.

            Thick lips pulled down for a moment.  That was the thing she had been avoiding thinking about.

            “I haven’t,” Garnet admitted.

            “The meeting is tomorrow, what are you going to tell them?” Ruby voiced her concern.

            “I don’t have to tell them anything other than that I will be making my own decision regarding the matter.”

            “Have you been thinking about your options?” Sapphire tried.

            “What options?” Garnet grumbled.  “I have to move and erase my trail, all because the government couldn’t catch Yellow Diamond.”  She breathed out harshly.  “What does it matter?  Yellow Diamond will find me no matter where I go.”

            “I think you’re giving the woman more power than she has,” the long haired woman carefully stated.

            “She knew everything right from the start!  She knew everything about Pearl, about me, and about Steven.”

            “And yet you still were able to get them out and escape.  She’s not flawless, there are points of weakness.  Establishing some distance and a change will make it harder for her to come after you again.”

            Covered eyes glared down at her partially eaten bowl.

            “Think of it as an opportunity to get to experience a different part of the country!” Ruby tried.  “New sights, new co-workers, new people to help.  There’s a lot of good that can come from this.”

            “You’re right,” Garnet sighed.  “I should be looking on the bright side.  We all made it out, we are recovering, and we have time to make our next move.  I should make the most of it instead of moping around.”

            “We understand Garnet,” Sapphire pursed her lips together.  “You went through a lot and it’s hard to be motivated to take action right away when you’re still recovering.  We just didn’t want to see this key time to slip away before any action was taken.”

            The daughter nodded.  “I’m sorry, I’m just – as you know, recovering physically and mentally from the whole operation.”

            “We know,” Ruby smiled.  “What we can do is put together some options of places you could move to.  We can also look into housing in those areas and look for some used cars too.”

            “That would help a lot, thank you,” Garnet managed a smile.

            After dinner, the curly haired woman powered on her laptop and opened a private browser.  Acquiring a car would be her top priority along with finding someone to buy her house.  From there she could use her savings to sustain herself while she moved and found a new precinct to work at.

            _Everyone is heading to California…should I go too?_

Seeing Amethyst, Steven, and even Pearl regularly was nice.  She didn’t want to lose that.  And if she could stay nearby and keep an eye on them that could potentially be very helpful.  Pieces of her began to come back together as energy surged through her body.  In a new area she would be able to work to find those who were hurting others and put them behind bars.

            _I’m not broken, you haven’t beaten me Yellow Diamond._

Ruby and Sapphire researched alongside her, finding other bits of information and potential leads for positions and cars being sold.  By the time Pearl arrived for the night, Garnet had an appointment to see someone about the car they were selling and a list of places she wouldn’t mind moving to.  Her mothers wished her goodnight as they headed upstairs.  Pearl smiled and made a joke about the duffle bag of clothes and toiletries she brought with her this time.  Garnet in turn joked about having her move in until both of them were able to get over their insomnia, nightmares, and night terrors.  Laughter danced between the two of them as they got ready for bed and slipped under the sheets together.

 

            Deep breaths were met with a little bit of increased resistance from the weight resting on her chest.  The warm and soft pressure was oddly comforting and didn’t send her into a panic like weight on her chest normally would.  Garnet slowly opened her eyes from her night’s rest, her body registering her position and the position of the other occupant in the bed.  The curly haired woman was lying on her back while Pearl was sleeping on top of her.  Strawberry blonde hair was nestled in the valley of her breasts while a pale hand was curled into a fist and placed just below her right breast.  Narrow hips laid right over hers with thin legs running along the outside of thick thighs.  Garnet pulled in a deep breath.  The sleeping woman mumbled and shifted slightly from the movement of her ribcage.  Garnet remained still, unsure of what to do, her body enjoying the intimate contact while her mind was both cheering and freaking out.  Arms were raised up from her side and carefully laid across Pearl’s back.  The dark woman breathed out heavily as she debated what she was going to say when Pearl woke up and discovered that they had been sleeping like this.  Tufts of wispy hair moved back and forth as the pale woman moaned; her body shifting and sliding against Garnet’s ever so slightly.  Garnet didn’t dare to flex a muscle.  Clenched fists opened and braced against her lower ribcage as the thin woman raised herself up a couple of inches.  Light blue eyes blinked, clearing away the sleep and steadily taking in her surroundings.  A soft smile formed on thin lips as those eyes found hers.  Garnet swallowed heavily as her heart began to beat wildly in her chest.  Something about the look in Pearl’s eyes and her smile was completely captivating, alluring even.

/***

            Dark arms fell to Pearl’s lower back as the pale woman pushed against the mattress and moved up so she was hovering right over Garnet’s reddened face.  One hand pulled away and drifted up to cradle the side of Pearl’s cheek.  Light eyes darted down towards her parted thick lips.  Garnet brought their faces together, lips gently pressing against each other.  Pearl leaned into the kiss, skillfully parting Garnet’s lips with her tongue, pleading for further entry.  Moans filled the air as they continued to kiss.  The curly haired woman effortlessly flipped the smaller woman onto her back, letting her wide hips press heavily against narrower ones.  Thin legs wrapped around her waist.  Calloused hands sought out the edge of Pearl’s shirt and began to push it up, carefully minding the bandaged side, as their kissing became more desperate.  Hands trembled slightly when they met no resistance other than the shirt.  Garnet pulled away from swollen lips and sucked on the pale woman’s pulse point as the pads of her thumbs rubbed circles around pert nipples.  The gasping moan that escaped from Pearl’s throat was the best thing she had heard in a long time. Hips rolled against each other begging for more contact, more friction.  Thick lips moved to the other side of Pearl’s neck.

            “ _Oh Garnet…!_ ” the pale woman moaned.

            Fingers desperately grabbed at the bottom of her shirt, fumbling as they tried to push it up.  Garnet sat back for a second and swiftly tossed it and her loose bra to the side.  Many fading bruises could still be seen splattered all over her torso.  Pearl softly ran her hand up the front of her firm abdominals, the tips of her fingers just brushing the bottom of her breasts.  Hot, bare skin was pressed together as the curly haired woman laid back on top of Pearl, lips meeting, and fingers intertwining.  The blood in Garnet’s veins turned into liquid fire making her feel alive.  Narrow digits slipped out of her hold and gently ran their short nails up her muscular back.  The two pulled back for a moment as they gasped for air.  Garnet groaned as the nails made their way back down to the waistband of her sweats and were pulled across her sides until thumbs were tracing short lines into her lower abdominals.  Mismatched and light blue eyes clouded with passion stared at each other.  Garnet swallowed thickly as she carefully removed Pearl’s shirt the rest of the way.  The pale woman sat up and knelt in front of her as she sat back on her heels.  Pearl tipped her head up to capture Garnet’s lips in a tender kiss.  Long hands coaxed her hips forward so she was kneeling as tongues slid over each other.  Featherlight kisses and bites were trailed down Garnet’s neck and breasts as her sweatpants were slowly pushed south.  Pearl’s wet tongue traced a nipple; then moved to the other.  Fingers rubbed muscular thighs, reaching the dark ink designs in the curly haired woman’s right leg.  Garnet inhaled swiftly as lips were placed in the middle of her upper abdominals.

***\

            Her moan was cut short as the touch of pale digits disappeared, but the pressure remained on her right thigh as they reached the numb section of her skin.  Mismatched eyes were shut tightly.  Two fingers dipped slightly as they passed over the sunken scar.

            Everything came to a screeching halt as the pressure against her bullet wound sent her mind back to the white room where she was tied to a chair and assaulted by unwelcomed hands.

            “Stop!” Garnet desperately cried out.

            Confused light blue eyes looked up at her, hands pausing their movements.

            “Don’t touch me there!” Garnet shook as she knocked the hand off her right leg and frantically backed away from the pale woman.

            The spot on her leg felt like it was being crushed, as if a thumb was being dug into it.

            “Garnet…” came Pearl’s concerned voice.  “I’m so sorry, I should have never touched you there,” she quickly apologized when she noticed Garnet frantically rubbing her right quadriceps.

            Short breaths were forced to even out as the dark woman attempted to rid her mind of the fresh, vivid memories and focus on the present.  A large sigh was released once the phantom pain had faded away.  Garnet pulled her pants back up and sat on the edge of her bed, hands gripping the mattress like it was her last life line.

            “I’m sorry Garnet, I won’t do that ever again.  I should have never even let my hands go near there.”

            The curly haired woman reached back and grabbed one of Pearl’s hands, pulling the woman so she sat down next to her.

            “It’s not just that,” Garnet finally spoke as she looked down at their intertwined fingers.

            Pearl waited for Garnet to continue.  A heavy sigh was pushed into the air.

            “Yellow Diamond…she touched me when I was tied to that chair.”

            “No…” the pale woman whispered in horror.

            “She put her hands all over my face, my legs, and my scars.  She let me know that she could have done anything she wanted to me, but she didn’t.  I was completely powerless to stop her, I couldn’t even pull away,” the dark woman admitted.

            “That’s awful.”

            The curly haired woman pathetically laughed once as a couple of tears escaped her eyes.  Before she could reach up to wipe at them, thin fingers tenderly brushed them away from her brown eye.  They hesitated to touch her half blind eye, moving even slower to give her time to pull away.  Garnet held still and watched Pearl’s face as she daintily removed the beads of salty water.  The pale woman’s expression was odd, she was looking at Garnet in a way she never remembered seeing.  Garnet couldn’t find the words to describe it, and that scared her a little.

            “Have I ever told you how beautiful your eyes are?”

            The curly haired woman jumped a little, pulling back away from Pearl’s hand.

            “My eyes?” she motioned to her half blind one, an eyebrow raised in disbelief.

            Pearl nodded.  “Yes.  Your eyes.  Both of them are beautiful.”

            Garnet’s tongue fumbled around in her mouth as she was caught between trying to deny the statement and finding words of gratitude.

            “Th-thanks,” she stuttered.

            Pearl blushed and ducked her head into Garnet’s round shoulder.  The dark woman flopped back onto her bed with her arms and hands landing above her head.  Mismatched eyes stared up at the ceiling and a heavy sigh escaped thick lips.  Pearl laid down right next to her, her narrow shoulder pressed against Garnet’s side, just under her armpit.

            “Was that something you recently remembered?” the strawberry blonde asked after a few moments of silence.

            “No,” Garnet breathed out.  “I’ve always remembered that for some reason.  Doesn’t help that in my sleep it repeats or gets worse.”

            Pearl made a face.  “That’s horrible.  It’s bad enough to have it happen.”

            Garnet grunted in agreement.

            “Thank you for telling me,” the pale woman continued.  “I’ll make sure to avoid that area in the future.  Well if there is another time…I don’t really know where we stand actually.”

            The curly haired woman sighed again.  “I don’t either,” she admitted.

            Both of them turned onto their sides so they could face each other.

            “Having you stay over and sharing the bed has helped me sleep much easier,” Garnet started.

            “Same here.”

            “I initiated both times we’ve…kissed…but I don’t know how I feel about you or where to start.”

            “How about we start here?  Would you join me for coffee tomorrow at 8am at the Big Donut?” Pearl suggested.

            A thick eyebrow was raised up.  “Are you asking me on a date?”

            “Yes,” the pale woman’s face flushed.  “We can start there and work to figure out how we feel about each other.  If it’s just friends, then that’s what it is.  If it’s more, then we can move in that direction.”

            Garnet let out a brief chuckle.  “Alright.  8am at the Big Donut.”

            Thin lips were pulled back to form an excited smile.  After a moment, the two stood up and met for a warm hug.

            “I want you to be a part of my life, Garnet,” Pearl quietly admitted.  “I don’t know what you’ve decided yet regarding the meeting today, but I just want you to know that.”

            “Thank you, Pearl,” Garnet spoke as she held the woman closer.

            They pulled back, blushing slightly at the bare contact.

            “I should probably get my things and get ready for work,” Pearl scratched the back of her head.

            “Yeah…me too.  See you at the meeting?”

            Pearl laughed lightly.  “Yeah I’ll see you at the meeting.”

            They got ready quickly and quietly.  Before long Garnet was driving Pearl back to the Universe’s house.  Covered eyes watched as the pale woman disappeared into the house.  Garnet breathed out heavily and rested against the steering wheel.  Lime green lights displayed the current time.

            6:05am

            _We almost had sex…_

Garnet groaned and sat back against the driver’s seat.  Pearl could have easily stayed another hour, but after their moment it was a bit too awkward to just hang out for that time.  Tires swiveled and rolled forward as the Subaru made its way back to Garnet’s house.  After returning, the dark woman stepped into her bathroom to get ready for the day.  Eyes looked at their reflection in the mirror, studying the scar, the faded and deep brown colors, and the tired lines around them.

            _“Have I ever told you how beautiful your eyes are?”_

Pearl’s words repeated in her mind.  Hands braced against the sink as Garnet laughed softly.  Since losing part of her eyesight, she had never thought of them as beautiful and actually looked at them in the mirror as little as possible.  Yet another reason why she liked wearing her sunglasses all the time.

            _Do I want Pearl in my life?_

The question was easy to answer for Amethyst and Steven, but knowing the pale woman would be heading in the same direction, Garnet hesitated.

            _Why are you hesitating?  You obviously still feel something for her, and she obviously likes you._

But was she being stupid by letting Pearl back in?  Letting her come close and crossing those physical boundaries?

            _You don’t have to be involved in order to live near each other, you can be friends.  She said she would be ok with that._

Is that all Pearl wants though?  Or will she be the one desiring a fulfilling relationship this time?

            _Her feelings are not your responsibility._

_But I could be leading her on…I was the one kissing, I invited her into my bed, I’m the one who needs to make a decision._

_Then make the decision._

_I don’t know!  I don’t know what I think of her!_

_What do you need to know how you feel about her?_

_I want to spend more time with her outside of work, outside of being undercover, and outside of using each other for comfort._

_Then the date you’re going on tomorrow should be perfect for that._

_Right!  That will be a prime opportunity to figure things out!_

Garnet nodded at herself in the mirror before heading to her closet to grab her clothes for the day.

 

            The same group from Monday’s meeting were gathered once again.  Jasper rested her meaty hands on the table and moved her gaze from one person to the next.

            “So,” she breathed out.  “I don’t feel the need to explain yet again why we are here.  I am going to start at one end and ask each of you what your plan is and what you need our help with.  Universe’s you’re going first!”

            Steven grinned as he turned to face his dad.

            “Go ahead Stewball, you know the plan as well as I do,” Greg permitted.

            “We are moving to an undisclosed location and changing our names.  I’m working to finish up the rest of my school year in the month and we are looking to sell our house!”

            “Sounds good.  We’ll work with the legal system to make sure the name changes go smoothly and that any credentials to your name are moved over.  Before you move, we’ll also work with you to make sure your online data and tracing has been removed so you can start fresh.  It’s not bulletproof, but it’s the best we can offer,” Jasper informed.

            “Thank you, Captain,” Greg smiled.

            “Yeah, yeah,” she brushed off.  “Perez’s you’re next!”

            Amethyst dramatically cleared her throat.  “I will be moving to a similar area as Steven and Greg and change my last name.  Gonna start working and then apply for summer classes at a nearby college.  I’ll be working to finish high school and take the necessary tests to secure my diploma within the month.”

            “As for the rest of our family, we will remain in Beach City,” Amethyst’s parents stated.  “Most of our daughters and extended family are all adults and have decided to do so.  A few of them are actually looking to move out of the apartments and into a house.  So if some of you are needing to sell, they might be interested.”

            Jasper nodded.  “We will be doing the same for you Amethyst, assisting in erasing your online presence and your name change.  Pearl,” Amber eyes rotated to look at the pale woman.

            “I will be moving to a similar area as Steven and Greg, with a last name change as well.  I’m actually going to try to reestablish a connection with my extended family.”

            “Like actual blood family?” Amethyst blurted out.

            “Yes, actual blood family,” Pearl huffed.

            “Wow…” the teen breathed out in awe.  “That’ll be quite the adventure, right?”

            “It will be interesting at the least.”

            “I see,” Captain Green pressed her round lips into a thin line.  “Same deal of online removal and last name change then for you.  And if you need a bit of cash to help you move, let me know.”

            “Thank you, Jasper.”

            “Bailey?”

            “I am looking to sell my house, so if any of the Perez family members want to work something out, I’d be happy to talk.  I’m moving to a different state, and I will be changing my last name.”

            “Alright, you get the usual help, and then there’s a couple of things I want to go over with you in addition to that,” Jasper concluded.

            Garnet nodded.

            “Ok, thanks for the report.  You have three weeks to get everything sorted out and put into action.  I will arrange for a time to meet with each of you individually to take care of all specific needs.  For those of you with the name changes, come in tomorrow at 10am and we will get that process started.  Lastly, don’t forget to get new phone numbers and phones.  Those devices leave all sorts of trails to follow.  Meeting dismissed.”

            Jasper watched all of the civilians exit the meeting room and file into the main area of officers’ desks.  Bismuth walked over to stand next to her.

            “Do you think it will be enough to thwart Yellow Diamond?” Bismuth asked once they were the only two in the conference room.

            “Worst case scenario, it will give them more time,” Amber eyes narrowed.  “You know the Diamonds the best.  It will never truly be over until one side is dead.”

            “For Bailey and Pearl, definitely.  For Steven and Amethyst, she might let them off the hook.  For the two of us and Sugilite, who knows?  I wouldn’t be surprised if she sent some hitman after us.”

            “I’ll be able to handle whatever Yellow Diamond tries to do to me,” Jasper folded her buff arms over her chest.

            “Same here,” Bismuth nodded.

            Out in the main area, Amethyst began to poke at the slightly deflated balloons attached to Jasper’s desk.

            “Those are mine!” Jasper instantly roared as she stomped out to stop the teen from taking any.

            Violet eyes widened before a mischievous glint appeared in them.  Amethyst stepped away from the desk, cutting one of the balloons loose with the knife she kept in her pocket.

            “Hey!” The Captain growled.  “Give that back!”

            “What?!  No!” Amethyst held the slightly deflated foil balloon close to her chest.  “It says ‘Kick Butt Moves’ and I clearly have kick butt moves.”

            “As if!” Jasper countered at she made a grab for the balloon.

            The short teen dodged the grab and stuck her tongue out at the muscular woman; dancing away impishly.

            “Who got you these?” Pearl casually inquired as she walked towards the decorated desk.

            A sandy eyebrow was raised and a smug smirk formed on round lips.  “Garnet.  She knows how to say thank you.”

            Pearl’s face turned bright red.

            “Oooooo, burn!” came a high-pitched, comical voice.

            Everyone turned to look at the source.  Amethyst grinned as she held the helium balloon close to her face; fingers pinching the cut in the plastic to preserve the rest of the gas.

            “I-I don’t have any means to get you anything right now,” the pale woman tried to defend.

            “It doesn’t take any money to write a note,” Jasper triumphantly waved the card containing Garnet’s blocky writing in front of the thin woman.

            Pearl huffed and slouched.  “I’ve been busy.”

            “I bet you have,” Amethyst squeaked.

            “I am awesome,” another high-pitched voice joined in.

            “Lapis!” Jasper cried out at the sight of the shorter officer holding the “You’re Awesome” balloon.

            Officer Lazuli savagely grinned.  “I get half of these for doing your job for a month,” she continued in her deadpanned squeak.

            “What?!”

            “Yeah Baby!” Sugilite’s voice joined in the helium games.

            “Fine!  These ones are mine!” Jasper grabbed the ones tied to the left side of her desk.

            “Works for me,” Lapis shrugged, her tone back to normal.

            Light blue eyes narrowed as they focused on Jasper’s face.

            “Why are you still wearing the bandage over your nose?” Pearl brought up.  “It’s been almost two weeks, even Bismuth isn’t wearing her sling anymore,” she gestured to the strong woman with dreadlocks.

            Jasper stiffened in her chair, folding her muscular arms over her chest.  “It’s healing, gotta keep it clean.”

            “But don’t the stitches need to breathe or something so the skin seals back together?  Keeping it bandaged doesn’t allow for that.”

            “I know how to take care of my injuries Pearl,” Jasper growled.

            The pale woman quickly raised her hands in surrender.

            “Jasper just doesn’t want anyone to see her nose or notice the slight change in her voice,” Lapis revealed in her helium voice.

            “My voice is the same!” the sandy haired woman objected.

            “Now that you mention it,” Pearl rubbed her chin.  “It is a bit more nasally than your usual voice.  Not as much or as high as it was in the hospital, but still different.”

            “No it’s not!” Jasper bristled.

            “Aww poor little Cheeto Puff is just upset she doesn’t have the same deep intimidating voice,” Lapis said with a tease as she patted the mane of sandy hair.

            Amber eyes glared at the two women as she shoved away Officer Lazuli’s hand.  Amethyst slowly crept up to Pearl from the side, staying low so she wouldn’t be noticed.  With a wide grin the teen inhaled another lungful of the gas.

            “Pearl has a hickey!” Amethyst’s cartoonish voice shouted out, making the pale woman jump and quickly pull the collar of her jacket close to her neck.

            “Who-” Officer Lazuli paused to turn her attention towards the pale woman, then held the balloon up to her mouth and breathed in, “Who gave it to you?” came the silly sounding inquiry.

            “N-n-no one!” Pearl frantically denied.

            Garnet nonchalantly walked over her desk and sat down; separating herself from the group.

            “Yeah right!  Tell us who!” the silver haired teen egged on in her normal tone.

            “No one,” Pearl insisted.

            “Maybe she got it from work or something else,” Steven suggested, “she’s just been staying over at Garnet’s house the past couple of nights…” his eyes widened as his mind connected the dots a moment too late.

            Garnet sat stock-still in her desk, her face darkening slightly.  Eyes darted from one guilty reddened face to the other.  Amethyst took a deep breath from her balloon.

            “You two fucked?!”

            “We did not,” Pearl hissed.

            “Like I’m going to believe that,” she triumphantly smirked.

            “Just how close did you two work together while undercover,” Jasper jumped in.  “You two were just supposed to watch each other’s backs not-”

            “We didn’t do anything of the sort while undercover!” Garnet quickly cut the captain off.  “And what we may or may not have done in recent days is not anyone’s business.”

            “I say otherwise,” Bismuth folded her arms across her chest.

            “Oh snap,” came Lapis’s squeaky comment.

            “Do you honestly think any good will come out of getting involved with her again?” the woman with dreadlocks directed to Garnet as she waved a hand at Pearl.

            “That is my decision to make, and I will handle whatever comes because of it,” Garnet gritted her teeth.

            Bismuth frowned, but didn’t push the topic.

            “Garnet totally gave you those hickeys, didn’t she?” Amethyst smirked with her higher voice.

            “I didn’t say that,” Pearl growled as she turned to head for the exit.  “And just you wait Jasper!  I know how to say thank you too!” the pale woman finished as she left the police station.

            “Oh I’ll wait,” the sandy haired woman leaned back in her chair.

            “Sorry about that Garnet,” Steven apologized to the curly haired woman.

            “Don’t worry about it,” she brushed off.

            “We should probably head out,” Greg chuckled.  “Pearl’s gonna get really cold waiting out by the van.”

            Steven and Greg waved goodbye to everyone as they headed out.

            “So you two didn’t?” Amethyst asked Garnet as she leaned on the woman’s desk.

            “Drop it.”

            “Aw c’mon, I’ve been hoping forever that you two would hook up again.”

            “We aren’t ready for that, there’s a lot that needs to be sorted out before it could happen,” Garnet explained.

            “Like what?”

            “That’s between Pearl and I.”

            “Fiiiinnnneee,” Amethyst whined.  “Hey!  We need to start those fighting lessons again.  If we have baddies after us, I gotta get even better.”

            “We can start next weekend, by then I should be cleared to exercise again.”

            “Alright!”

            “Amethyst,” the teen’s mother called.  “We are heading out, you and Officer Garnet can talk another time.”

            “Ok,” Amethyst sighed.

            The Perez family left with a wave and quickly ran through the strong snow storm to their parked car.  Garnet hitched a ride with Bismuth back to her house.  Jasper breathed out a sigh of satisfaction.  Each of the parties had plans to try and escape Yellow Diamond’s eventual revenge.  Amber eyes rotated to look at Officer Lazuli as she breathed in another lungful of the helium gas.

            “I am awesome,” came the comical voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jasper got her balloons! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! 
> 
> I want to say thank you to everyone who voiced their opinion regarding Blue Diamond being written as Islamic or not. I Have decided to go forward and write her as Islamic. I will do my best to my research and as usual if anything comes across as inaccurate or offensive, please let me know and I will fix it! Mostly Blue Diamond's religion will be shown through clothing, food, and personal habits. It will not be a driving force in any of her dealings as a Drug Lord. Thank you all so much for your support and advice!


	35. Making Decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The day to move quickly approaches and Garnet still has a number of things left to decide, mostly revolving around Pearl.
> 
> A song that kind of goes with this chapter is Hidden Citizens - I (Just) Died in Your Arms. (I like it, lol) Also a cool song recommendation from Hushie is "Issues" by Julia Michaels for Pearl and Garnet's complicated relationship. :)
> 
> Please read the end notes for an announcement!

^^^^^^

Garnet decides what she wants.

^^^^^^

 

            Wind bit through her fluffy, warm jacket as Garnet made her way to the entrance of the Big Donut.  Even though the weather had not been favorable, Ruby and Sapphire were confident in their ability and their car to get them home safely.  It helped that they would be traveling mostly on well-maintained roads.  They had left early that morning to try and avoid most of the traffic. Unfortunately, for Garnet it meant she was without a car until she was able to buy one.  The curly haired woman pulled against the forces of nature to pry open the glass door to the Big Donut and step quickly inside.  She let out a sigh of relief and looked around the mostly empty place.

            “Welcome to the Big Donut!” Sadie greeted.

            Garnet waved at her as she made her way over to the table for two Pearl was sitting at.  The pale woman was staring at the snowflakes speeding by through the glass window.

            “Is anyone sitting here?” the dark woman motioned to the chair across from Pearl.

            A wistful smile appeared on Pearl’s face.  “Only you are,” she said with a smirk.

            Garnet hesitated for a moment before her mind recalled the joke from years ago.  Deep chuckles slipped past amused lips.

            “Thanks,” she said as she sat down.

            The thin woman twirled her thumbs as she stared down at the empty table.  “I want to start this out right,” she began.  “My name is Pearl Meyers, I’m 33, I was a former meth cook for a gang called the Rose Thorns, I currently work at the local mechanic shop, and I am on Yellow Diamond’s, a Drug Lord’s, hit list,” the pale woman finished by holding out her hand.

            Lips quirked up into a half smile as Garnet took the hand.  “Nice to meet you Pearl, my name is Garnet Bailey, I’m 31, I used to work in Jersey as a police officer, I am currently a police officer for Beach City, and I am also on Yellow Diamond’s hit list.”

            Hands fell away.

            “Want do you want?  I’m paying,” Pearl informed.

            “You’re paying?” Garnet raised an unseen eyebrow.

            Red burned in Pearl’s cheeks.  “Steven gave me some cash for the date,” she grumbled.  “I tried to refuse, but he insisted.”

            “Well then,” Garnet laughed.  “I’ll have a black coffee and a chocolate cake doughnut.”

            Pearl nodded as she stood up and walked over to the counter Sadie was attending.  In a few minutes, the thin woman was back with a cup of black coffee, a cup of tea, one chocolate cake doughnut, and one raspberry filled doughnut.

            “Thank you,” the curly haired woman nodded as she lifted her drink up to take a careful sip.

            “You’re welcome.”

            It was an enjoyable time, just the two of them sitting there and talking about whatever came to mind.  From events in the past, to random pieces of trivia, to opinions on various events and trends going on.  There was nothing super special about the coffee date, just a chance for them to reconnect.  They parted ways after an hour and a half while expressing the inclination to do something like this again.

 

            Between purchasing a car, talking to a few of Amethyst’s cousins about her house, working to get her name legally changed, getting a new phone, and wrapping up the rest of her police reports, a week had quickly passed by.  A week of spending her nights holding onto Pearl for comfort.  A week of doing random activities together almost every day.  A week of tasting the pale woman’s lips more than once; usually after waking up together.  With only two weeks left before she was supposed to be moving, Garnet was at a crossroads on where she really wanted to go.  If it weren’t for the part of her that was hesitant about being with Pearl, the decision would have already been made.  Covered eyes blinked slowly as they watched the apartment listings scroll by.

            _California is expensive…_

Dull fingernails scratched the back of her neck.  After her training session with Amethyst earlier that morning, she had headed home to sit down and finally make a choice.  Now, almost five hours later, she finally admitted that she was stuck.  Garnet breathed out and glanced at the time displayed on her laptop.

            7:49pm

            Pearl would be coming by soon.  A sigh slipped past barely parted lips as a new tab was opened and the dark woman began a search for openings in her profession.  Somehow California was what she always typed out first.  Steven, Greg, Amethyst, Pearl, and Peridot were all headed to the northern/central area of the large state.  Peridot had been accepted by a good college there and Amethyst was going to work and apply to a college nearby after a year.  Greg had found a good apartment for him and his son, as well as a few leads for jobs.  Amethyst would be joining the two and helping to pay a portion of the rent and food costs.  Pearl’s family on her dad’s side was only a couple of hours away from where the pale woman was also looking for housing.  She decided she wanted to live closer to the family she knew liked her.  Garnet scrolled through the listings in the area.  There were a couple.  It was a large city with a lot going on, so there was bound to be openings.  Fingers pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

            _Make a list of pros and cons of living near or with Pearl and then decide._

_FINE!_

Hands grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil.  A line of graphite was run down the center, followed by one at the top.  The words “Pros” and “Cons” were placed in their respective sides.

            _Potentially half of the rent cost.  If she gets and holds a job…_

_Good company.  Can be a real pain in the ass._

_Comforting.  I don’t know if I can trust her._

_Knows how to cook and keeps a clean place.  Hides big secrets._

_Cares about me and has Steven and Amethyst’s best interests in mind.  She shot me._

_Has been working to be a lot nicer, understanding, and supportive._

_Has also improved on her work ethic._

_Is pretty.  Is also on Yellow Diamond’s hit list._

_Is smart, street smart, and is good with cars._

Garnet paused for a moment.  If both Pearl and her were in the same apartment, they would be a huge target for Yellow Diamond.  However, at the same time, it would help to protect Steven and Amethyst, they would potentially be left alone while the Drug Lord just went straight to them.

            _That’s only if she finds you._

_When she finds you._

Soft yellow wings fluttered through the air, guiding the moth until it landed on the top of Garnet’s laptop.

            _It’s only a matter of time, you’re just running for now._

Covered eyes shot up to look at the intruder.  Fuzzy, beady orbs stared back.

            _Yes, I am just running for now._

Garnet lifted her hand, palm up, towards the moth.

            _Your painful death is inevitable._

_Yes, Yellow Diamond won’t stop until she gets her revenge on me._

Tiny legs shifted from the laptop to Garnet’s hand.  The dark woman held the moth right in front of her chest.

            _But she has another thing coming if she thinks I will go down without a fight._

The moth didn’t get a chance to respond as Garnet’s fist crushed the fragile insect.  She squeezed her hand as tightly as she could.

            _I am going to live my life.  I will not cower in fear.  When she comes for me I’ll be ready for her._

A triumphant smirk appeared on thick lips.  Covered eyes glanced over at her Pros/Cons list.  She knew what her decision was.

            Just then she heard her front door open and close.

            “It’s me!” Pearl called into the house.  “It was unlocked, your car was here, and you weren’t answering when I knocked.  Plus, it’s frigid out there and my feet were starting to get frostbite or something.  I seriously need to get some winter shoes; these flats just don’t keep anything out.”

            The smirk fell slightly as the curly haired woman wondered how she didn’t hear the doorbell or Pearl’s knocking.  She opened up her hand to look at the mashed remains of the moth only to find that her palm was void of anything other than the crescent indents of her dull fingernails.

            “Sorry,” Garnet quickly apologized.  “I didn’t hear it.”

            “No worries, if it was locked I was going to try your phone next,” Pearl shrugged off.  “What are you working on?” the pale woman asked as she walked into Garnet’s office.

            “Just looking at job openings,” the dark woman said as she tried to shove her Pros/Cons list out of sight as the thin woman stepped closer.

            “Find anything you want to apply for?” Pearl leaned against the desk, facing the slightly panicked woman.

            “A couple of places, I’m going to be talking with Jasper on Monday.  She says she can send a recommendation to the precincts I want to apply to.  Hopefully, it will help me stand out and secure a job faster.”

            “I highly doubt you’ll have trouble, with your record and your recent experience with a Diamond?  They will be fighting over you.”

            “We’re not including that in my file.  It will put up a flag that might alert Yellow Diamond or any of the other three.  Kinda defeats the purpose of changing my name,” Garnet corrected.

            “Oh, right.  Silly me.”  Pearl paused for a moment.  “Do you think you will run into another Diamond?”

            “There’s four of them in the entire US, the chances are slim despite California having the highest population of all states.  Either way, I’m not really itching to meet another one.  Have you met any of the others through your work with Yellow Diamond?”

            Pearl raised an inquisitive eyebrow as she heard California.  “No, Yellow is very professional and to the point.  She doesn’t discuss other people’s business while conducting her own.”  The thin woman paused for a moment.  “That being said, Rose did meet Blue Diamond once.  She was allowed to visit Yellow at her base and she saw another woman speaking with Yellow Diamond.  Rose only guessed it was Blue Diamond due to the color she was wearing and that Yellow Diamond was treating her like an equal.”

            Thick lips were pressed together to form a thin line.  “I have no intentions to seek one of them out, but if I start seeing their stuff, I’m going to have a hard time ignoring it.”

            “You mentioned California,” Pearl brought up casually.  “Is that where you’re looking to move to?”

            “Yeah…” Garnet scratched the back of her neck, “I was actually.  I’ve made up my mind, finally.”  She reached back for her Pros/Cons list and handed it to Pearl.  “As you can see the ‘Pros’ outweigh the ‘Cons’.  So, I would like to ask you how would you feel about possibly renting an apartment together?  I know it seems like a jump for the two of us, but considering that for the past two and half months we’ve been sharing a bed, I don’t think it would be.  We could have separate rooms, or whatever.”

            Strawberry blonde eyebrows were pulled together as the pale woman read over the list.

            “Seems really just tossed out there, not very organized,” she criticized.

            Garnet deflated.

            “And you forgot something,” Pearl continued.

            “What?” the dark woman breathed out.

            “This.”  Pearl quickly leaned in and pulled Garnet in for a kiss.

            The action was so unexpected the curly haired woman almost fell out of her rolling office chair.  A soft chuckle brushed against her lips as Pearl pulled away.  Garnet could feel her face burning.

            “I think it’s a good idea, and I’m on board with it.  I have a few places I’ve been looking at that I can show you and you can let me know what you think of them.”

            “S-sure,” the dark woman motioned to her laptop.

            For the next couple of hours, the two viewed a number of listings, worked out what amenities they wanted to have, what type of floor plan they wanted, came to a conclusion on splitting rent and utilities 50/50, and read many reviews.  Garnet breathed out a sigh of relief as she changed into her pajamas for the night.  That area was taken care of, now she just had to get a job nearby the apartments they were looking at, finish the name change paperwork, and finalize selling her house to Amethyst’s cousins.  Pearl slid into the bed next to Garnet and the curly haired woman spooned her, wrapping her arms around the thin frame.

            “Garnet?” Pearl spoke up.

            “Hm?”

            The strawberry blonde let out a long exhale.  “Now that we’ve decided to live together, what does that mean for ‘us’?”

            “‘Us’?”

            “Yeah, ‘us’.  Is there an ‘us’ or are we just doing things together?  We’ve been going on dates, we’ve kissed a couple of times…I don’t know what to think and I don’t want to push you for a level of commitment that you’re not ready for,” Pearl rambled.

            “I…” Garnet trailed off.  She knew this topic was going to come up sooner than later, but she had been avoiding it; like everything else.  “I’m not ready to have sex with you.”

            “We don’t have to have sex in order to be dating.  We can take it as slow as you want.”  Pearl rotated in her arms so they were facing each other in the dim light of the night.

            The curly haired woman sighed heavily.  “You want to do that?  Take it slow even if we were girlfriends again?”

            “Yes.  I don’t want to force you to do anything you don’t want to do.  I want to be in a relationship with you again, if you’ll have me,” Pearl laid out.

            Mismatched eyes widened at the statement.  “You do?”

            “Yeah,” Pearl quietly shrugged.  “I want to be your girlfriend.”

            “There’s a lot of people who would say I’m making an unwise decision if I were to,” Garnet began.  “And there’s a lot of people who would be happy for us.  If we do start dating again, being introduced to my mothers as my girlfriend will happen.”

            “I won’t run from it this time.”

            The dark woman remained silent as she internally debated if she wanted to date Pearl again.  Today had already been a big day for her to decide on moving to California and agreeing to live with Pearl.

            “Give me a day to think about it, ok?” Garnet requested.

            “Of course, take all the time you need.  I don’t want to push you either way.”

            “Thank you, Pearl.”

            A light chuckle came from the smaller woman.  “Thank you for giving me a second chance.”

            Strong arms held the thin woman close as Garnet closed her eyes.

            “Good night, Pearl.”

            “Good night, Garnet.”

 

            Sunday was a busy day.  Amethyst’s cousins came to her with an offer so the majority of the day was spent completing all of the paperwork and finalizing the purchase.  Then Pearl came over to discuss the apartment applications and before Garnet knew it, it was nighttime and she was struggling to keep her eyes open.

            _Tomorrow I’ll think about my response to Pearl._

            Jasper called Garnet back right as she stepped into the police station.  In a few moments, she was in one of the small rooms sitting next to her captain as they worked together to finalize the name change that had been approved by the local judge.  While Jasper stepped out to put together Garnet’s updated police file, Garnet went through all of her accounts.  Canceling all credits cards or random memberships and paying off any remaining balances.  She would work over the next few days to withdraw her savings so she could open a brand-new bank account in California.  Lastly, she went into her retirement fund, through being on the police force, and updated it to Garnet Hall.  Her new name was simple and common.  The 401K was the only piece she couldn’t transfer quickly or withdraw.  Garnet sincerely hoped that the one connection wouldn’t give her away until she was able to properly move it.  A frown settled into her lips, she didn’t like losing the name she had been given by her mothers.

            _It’s for my protection.  It will make it harder for me to be found._

After Jasper came back in, the two worked together to remove all of the online traces of Garnet Bailey.  Social media accounts disabled and erased.  Address and purchasing tracking obliterated, everything.

            “Alright,” the captain cracked her knuckles as she stretched for a second.  “Last thing we need to do is get you a job.  Got any places you want me to send a very good recommendation to?”

            “I have a couple, these are my top three.  Any of those I would be happy to get.”

            Jasper rubbed her chin as she looked at the places.  “Berkton?  Well…that’s a city you will definitely blend in there.  Kinda pricey, lots of people, and lots of crime.  You’ll have your work cut out for you.”

            “I know, but there were also lots of openings there.  We are fifteen minutes from where Steven, Greg, and Amethyst will be living, and Pearl’s family is just an hour and a quarter further into the bay in Silicon City.”

            “Figured you would end up moving with them and not at all surprised that you and Pearl seem to be moving in together.  Am I right?”

            “There are a number of benefits to moving in together.”

            Jasper snorted.  “I’m sure there are.”

            Garnet’s face heated up, but she didn’t respond.

            “Alright, before you apply anywhere I’m going to work some magic on my end and see if we can get you a job without having to do the whole application process.  Give me a couple of days and I’ll have word back to you on what to do next.”

            “Ok…I feel a bit odd not applying though.”

            “A lot of times us police chiefs like to chat up upcoming openings and will take recommendations from others.  The application process can be long and full of paperwork, so skipping that and getting a good employee is always a plus.”

            “How will you send your recommendation?”

            “Basically, I send them a copy of your file, let them know you’re looking for a job in their area, and then say a bunch of really good things about you.”

            “Sounds simple enough.  It lets the facts do the talking.”

            “And just so you know, I won’t be pulling a Bismuth and editing things out.  Granted I’m not going to say anything about Yellow Diamond or detail your PTSD, but I will let them know about your eye, your leg, your medically prescribed sunglasses, and that you do have PTSD.”

            “Fair enough,” Garnet crossed her arms over her chest.

            “In a day or two we will know if any of them want to take a chance with you.”

            “I see.  I will check in after a couple of days if I don’t hear anything.”

            Jasper nodded.  “Well, that should be about everything.  See you tomorrow Garnet.”

            “Thank you, Jasper, you’ve gone above and beyond to help all of us out.”

            “Yeah well, I couldn’t get the lady behind bars, so I gotta do what I can to keep you all safe.”

            The two officers shook hands and clapped each other on the back before Garnet headed home.

 

            Garnet glanced at her new, unused phone as she sat down eating her dinner.  With her name change and erasing all of her online presence, it was time for her to go silent until she moved to Berkton.  Any communication would be done face to face or through pay phones.  It was fortunate that she had already arranged with her mothers when they could come help her move and see her off.  As for Pearl, Steven, Greg, and Amethyst, she saw and talked to them daily, so they were always informed on each other’s progress or needs.  Covered eyes glanced at her wrist watch.

            7:12pm

            Pearl was going to arrive at 7:30pm.  Garnet had requested that she arrive earlier so they could have some time to talk before the two of them needed to head to bed.  Sharing a bed with the pale woman had done wonders.  While her nightmares were still persistent, she was able to consistently stay asleep for almost 8 hours at a time without any sleeping medication.  The last of her bruises were fading away, her concussion symptoms were nonexistent, the stitches in her arm from the bullet had been removed just a couple of days ago, and her exhaustion was decreasing each night she was able to sleep well.  Steven, Amethyst, and Pearl were all doing much better as well.  Both Steven and Amethyst’s scratches and stitches had healed up.  They had also gone to a couple of therapy sessions to talk about what they went through and get some help on how to combat the resulting trauma.  Pearl’s side was still healing, but she was able to move with less pain and strain on her abdominal muscles.  While the pale woman didn’t say much about her nightmares, Garnet knew it helped Pearl as well when they slept together.  The dark woman glanced at her old phone.

            _I should probably smash it and throw it in the toxic waste._

A knock on the door alerted her to the arrival of her nightly guest.  Garnet breathed out heavily, glanced down at the plaid shirt she was wearing, and walked over to open the door.

            “Evening, Pearl,” she greeted with a shaky smile.

            “Good evening, Garnet,” Pearl nodded, the duffle bag full of her clothes for the week slung over her shoulder.

            The pale woman had just decided to bring over what she used for the week on Mondays so she didn’t have to carry it back and forth every time.  Garnet led the way into the living room, Pearl followed silently.

            “Did you want anything to drink?” the dark woman asked out of habit.

            “I’m good for now.  You wanted to talk about something?” came the direct question as they both took a seat on either end of the couch.

            “I do,” Garnet nodded, then swallowed nervously as Pearl waited for her to continue.  “You asked me if there was an ‘us’ and expressed your desire to be my girlfriend again.  I really do appreciate you giving me time and letting me know that we can take it slow.” A heavy breath pushed through parted thick lips.  “I’ve decided that I would like to date you again, officially as girlfriend and girlfriend.”

            Light blue eyes became as wide as dinner plates.  “R-r-really?” Pearl whispered.

            “Yes,” Garnet affirmed, her face heating up.  “I do want to give us a second chance.  Over the past few months you have shown me that you can change and that you’ve taken charge and responsibility for your life and actions.  And well it probably helps that I find you interesting and attractive,” she ended with a light smirk.

            The pale woman jumped from her spot on the couch at Garnet.  Arms were wrapped around her neck as she was knocked backwards and lips were pressed against hers.  Garnet smiled into the kiss as she held Pearl close to her, the thin woman shifting so she was comfortably straddling Garnet’s hips.  Lips moved together for a tender kiss.  Pearl pulled back after a few seconds.

            “I’ll take things as fast or as slow as you want,” she smiled as she traced a finger along Garnet’s sharp jaw.

            “Thank you,” the curly haired woman smiled.  “I’m still going to need a bit of time before I am alright with going any further.  This wasn’t a simple decision, and part of me is still really scared of getting hurt again.”

            “I completely understand.”

            There is was again, that look in Pearl’s eyes.  It was as if nothing or no one else could make them shine like when Pearl was looking at her.  Garnet’s heart skipped a beat.  A laugh bubbled up from the pale woman’s throat as tears began to leave rivers of salt water on her cheeks.  The curly haired woman’s laughter and tears joined in with her girlfriend’s.  Sunglasses were removed so they could look each other in the eyes as Garnet pulled them together for a passionate kiss.  Fingers snaked up the back of her neck, lightly scratching the base of her skull.  Tongues softly danced together.  Lips wandered over the contours of each other’s faces and necks.  Hands reverently mapped out shoulders, sides, and backs.  When Garnet was ready, she ended the kiss.  They resumed their laughter as they shifted to sit next to each other, fingers intertwined.  Neither of them could have anticipated this, but both of them were glad they would have each other from now on out.  Garnet and Pearl soon slid into the dark woman’s bed together, said goodnight, and then fell asleep cuddling.

 

            Impossibly long legs with wide hips, curvaceous thighs, and toned calves moved briskly and gracefully towards the intended direction.  A fire orange blazer, buttoned over a black dress shirt, was tailored perfectly to fit strong shoulders, a round chest, and a narrow waist.  Matching fire orange slacks covered the determined legs.  Sleek, white, stiletto heels snapped against the linoleum floor as one smooth, chestnut hand readjusted grey tinted sunglasses while the other griped a black, leather briefcase tightly.  Dense, jaw-length, honey blonde curls skillfully contained and styled with a number of bobby pins and a touch of hair product, bounced ever so slightly from the woman’s powerful gait.  Plump lips formed a tiny smirk as amber eyes located the open door to the chief of police’s office.

            “Ah!  You’re still here!” the chief of police called out as the woman strode into his office.

            “I was staying late preparing my defense for my latest case.  Their trial is in only a few days,” the woman replied, her smooth British accent drifting elegantly through the air.

            “Yes, right,” the man scratched the side of his head.

            The chief of police was in his mid-forties, grey thinning hair from the stress of too many late nights, and an athletic figure that was hidden by years of inconsistent meals and nutrition.  He stood a few inches shorter than the tall woman standing before him.

            “I have something I’d like you to look over.  On the clock, obviously.  Today I received a recommendation from a friend of an acquaintance of mine on an officer that was looking for a job in our area.  As you know we haven’t found anyone to replace Officer Merrill after his untimely death and moving any of the new recruits up before they get more experience would not be a wise decision.”

            “So, you want me to look over this recommendation and let you know what I think?”

            “Right.  As one of our top defense attorneys, I trust your opinion.  Also, since they would be replacing Officer Merrill, they will be working with you more often than not.”

            “Go ahead and send me their file through the usual secure channels and I’ll take a look at it.  I sincerely hope that this one doesn’t end up being like Merrill.  It had been hard to find out what he had been doing behind the scenes all this time.”

            “Agreed,” the chief of police solemnly nodded.  “I’ll send the file to you right now, that way you can look at it first thing in the morning.”

            “Thank you, and good night,” the tall woman waved with her fingers as she headed out.

            “Good night.”

            Long legs slipped into the relatively new, metallic beige Honda Civic.  The engine purred as it came to life and was driven towards the elegant woman’s simple home.  Heels were kicked off and the blazer was tossed onto the bed as she sat down at her desk and opened her laptop.  Within seconds it was on and the file that had been sent to her was open.  Uncovered amber eyes darted back and forth as they quickly read through the information detailed about the officer and the recommendation included.  Plump lips separated into a smile, showing off the gap between her two top teeth.  The woman picked up her cell phone and dialed a number from memory.

            “What do you have for me?” the voice on the other end inquired.

            “A new potential addition to the Berkton police force.”

            “What do you think of them?”

            “I think they would be a great addition.  They have some good experience, and an impeccable record aside from not always following orders from superiors.”

            “Are they a good, honest cop?  One that we could potentially work with?”

            “Definitely.”

            “Good.  Thank you, Sardonyx, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

            “Will do.  I will contact you when everything has been finalized.”

            “I expect nothing less.”

            With that the conversation was ended and Sardonyx set her phone down on her desk.  Amber eyes drifted up to look at the two profile pictures of the recommended officer, Officer Garnet Hall.  The file was closed, the laptop was powered off, and the woman left her desk to get ready for bed.

 

            Chief of Police, Henry Johnson was already buried in paperwork by the time he had showed up to work the next morning.  He sat down and began to sort through everything into piles of things he could delegate and things he needed to take care of personally.  A knock on his open office door called his attention upwards.

            “Sardonyx!” he smiled.

            “Good morning,” she smiled as she took a step into the small room.

            “Hectic morning already,” came the sigh.

            “I looked over the file,” Sardonyx cut to the chase.

            “And?”

            “I think Officer Hall would be an excellent officer.  She comes with a lot of experience, diversity, devotion, skill, recommendations, and looks like someone I could work well with.”

            “Good.  Good,” Henry quickly nodded.  “What are your thoughts on her disabilities?”

            “I wouldn’t be concerned with them.  Her physical scores show that they don’t hinder her ability to do a good job.”

            “Yes.  Alright.  I’ll reach out to her today and see if we can extend an offer that she would take.  Thank you, Sardonyx, your opinion means a lot on things like this.”

            “Always happy to help,” she left with a wave.

 

            Pale knuckles rapped on the dark blue metal door.  Pearl shuffled back a step and waited for it to open.  With a click the barrier was swung to the side and the brunette leaned against the door frame.

            “Well, I was wondering whenever you were going to visit again,” S greeted her.

            “Hey, sorry, things have been really crazy these past few months.”

            “Come on in, I don’t want to let out all the warm air,” the brunette motioned backwards with her head.

            Pearl followed her into her apartment.

            “Want anything to drink?  Tea?  Rum?  Pop?” S offered.

            “I’ll pass,” the pale woman declined as her stomach tossed again.

            Becoming Garnet’s girlfriend, while being the best thing that happened to her all year, also began to produce a certain amount of anxiety.  Thus her stomach had been jumbled into knots, which is why she came to talk an important topic out with her old friend.

            “Cool,” S sat down on one of the barstools and pointedly stared at Pearl.  “What’s on your mind this time?”

            “Can’t I ask you how you’re doing first?”

            “No, my life is pretty mundane, go to work, go work out, go to a random concert, go on dates with random people.”

            “You could tell me about your dates or what concerts you’re going to.  I’m sure there’s always some work drama you could vent to me.”

            “Nah, you always have something more crazy going on, especially when you can’t sit still,” S smirked as her green eyes glanced at Pearl’s bouncing legs.

            The thin woman stilled her legs and glared at S.

            “C’mon, tell me the juicy details.  Wait, let me guess… it’s about Garnet, isn’t it?”

            “What?!  Why would you even assume that?  It could be about something else.”

            “Is it?”

            “No…” Pearl grumbled.

            “So did you finally apologize to her?”

            “I did,” the pale woman looked down at her hands.  “And then a ton of crazy shit happened with Yellow Diamond, and now we’re dating again.”

            “Wait…hold up, Yellow Diamond?  And you and Garnet are dating again?  I literally did not see that coming.”

            “It’s crazy, but true.”

            “So, let’s start with Yellow Diamond, what did she want?”

            “She wanted me to cook meth for her, and I refused a couple of times so she torched my work and kidnapped two teenagers I care about.  So Garnet and I went undercover in Yellow Diamond’s base and we all escaped with the help of an officer from Jersey, and the Beach City police force.  We all ended up in the hospital,” the strawberry blonde quickly summarized.

            S stared at her with wide green eyes.  “Holy shit…wow…I mean I always joke your life is way more interesting than mine, but that takes the cake.”

            Pearl huffed.

            “So Yellow Diamond went after you, huh?”

            “Yes, but that’s not really what I want to talk to you about.  I’ve already spent the past three weeks working to disappear and move elsewhere to hopefully evade her forever.  I want to ask your opinion on something.”

            “Ok, shoot,” the brunette shrugged as she rested her elbow on the counter and put her chin in the palm of her hand.

            “Garnet and I have decided to date each other again, and this time I’m going to be introduced to her family properly.  Technically we already have talked a few times in the hospital and such…but that’s beside the point.”  Pearl quickly breathed.  “I want to know if I should tell Garnet’s mothers that I was the one who shot her in the warehouse.”

            S whistled lowly and looked up at the ceiling.  “That’s a hard one to say.  Garnet never told them?”

            “Garnet never told anyone and I’m super worried that our past break up will come up eventually and it will be forced out.  I’d much rather tell them on my own terms.  However, they are sure to hate me even more than they already do.  Well Sapphire is giving me a second chance, but Ruby wants to roast me alive, and her cop friend, Bismuth, would probably put me in jail if she could.”

            “Have you talked to Garnet about this?  She is the one you shot and would technically be the only one on your side in that conversation.”

            “No, I haven’t brought it up yet.  If Garnet hasn’t told them by now, I highly doubt she’ll ever want to tell them.”

            S rubbed her chin.  “In all honesty, considering that Garnet isn’t going to tell, you’re already on the rocks with her mothers, and your relationship is just restarting, I wouldn’t tell them.”

            “Really?”

            “I’m not saying don’t ever tell them, but wait a bit longer for them to see that you’ve changed and that things are going well between the two of you.  Then I’m sure it will still stir up a hornet’s nest, but they won’t throw you right out the door.  You’ll have this whole shouting, crying, angry mess that helps get everything off everyone’s chest and you can move on from there.”

            Pearl winced.  “That doesn’t sound that great either.  There’s always the saying about holding onto a secret too long and it just makes things worse.”

            Round shoulders were lifted up and dropped as S shrugged.  “You wanted my advice, there it is.”

            “Sorry, thank you for the suggestion S.”

            “You’re welcome.”

            The two sat in silence for a moment.

            “I have one more question for you,” the curvy woman spoke up.  “How is Garnet doing?  You almost killed her, I’m actually very surprised that you two are dating again.”

            Light blue eyes glanced to the side as Pearl sighed.  “We are taking things slow.  Garnet still needs time to completely trust me.”

            “You two going slow?” S laughed.

            “Hey!  We’re both very different from before, ok?!”

            “Yeah you two aren’t going to go from 0 to 100 in 1.2 seconds right?”

            “Not until we both are ready.”

            “Ok, ok,” S raised up her hands in surrender, the last of her laughs slipping out of her system.

            The pale woman smiled.  “Thanks for talking with me.”

            “Of course.”

            For the next couple of hours, the two caught up on each other’s lives and swapped stories.  As Pearl left she promised to reach out to S again once it was safe to do so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you think they would actually get back together? Also, what could Sardonyx be up to? The inspiration for Sardonyx's design actually came from a drawing done by the amazing Dokirosi! Here is the link to it if you'd like to see! (http://weirdlyprecious.tumblr.com/post/158839973888/human-sardonyxes-as-lawyers-ready-to-go-on)
> 
> Now as this story is coming to a close, I'm sure a number of you might be wondering what may be coming from me next. I am happy/nervous to announce that on August 11th of this year I will begin posting my next work "Points of Pain" (Pearlnet obviously). This story is very different and will be accompanied by a warning at the beginning due to the dark material it will contain. For basic information on this story, please go to this link (https://thetruthampere.tumblr.com/post/161644241348/any-hints-you-can-give-us-on-what-points-of-pain) I leave each of you to decide if you want to read this, I am 100% ok if you are uncomfortable and don't want to.
> 
> Also, there is another announcement for another work I am doing that will start being posted around the same time. I am super excited for this shorter project. It's a collaboration and I hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> Finally, looking to the future I hope to start creating/posting chapters for the sequel of Champion in the October/November time frame!
> 
> Thank you all for reading, leaving kudos, and commenting!! I've loved seeing all of your reactions and your support for my work! And of course thank you to my two awesome Beta readers Unrequited and ShadyWinters!!!


	36. Making a Move

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is...the last chapter (minus the bonus scenes) of Smoke and Grit. Thank you all who have joined me for this crazy adventure, whether you have just come on board or have been with us since day one!
> 
> Also a GIGANTIC thanks goes to my two amazing Beta readers, Unrequited and ShadyWinters. This story would not be what it is without you :)
> 
> Lastly, check the ending notes for one super awesome announcement for a second work I will begin posting soon!

^^^^^^

It’s time for one crazy chapter in life to end and for a new one to open.

^^^^^^

 

            Yellowed teeth nibbled at the inside of her lower lip as she stood a couple of feet away from the checkout counter of the corner store.  Rows and rows of the packaged, addicting, paper roll silently called out to her unsteady nerves.  Light blue eyes scrolled over the listed prices before darting down to look at the remaining cash in her wallet.  All of her bills had been paid off with her paycheck, she deserved a reward.

            _It’s been almost a month since you’ve last smoked.  You could quit.  This is the longest you’ve ever gone._

_You’re gonna need these, the move is going to be stressful, finding a new job, not to mention Ruby and Sapphire are arriving today._

Pearl shut her eyes tightly and massaged her temples.  Just seeing and thinking about the item made her want it even more.  She had enough cash.  She could buy one pack and a new, cheap lighter.

            _I could savor them, not use them up super fast._

_You know once you start again you’ll just burn right through them and you won’t be able to buy any more until you get a job._

_Just remember how relaxing it was to just hang out and smoke one while watching the night sky._

The pale woman gritted her teeth and quickly walked up to the counter and informed the employee of her choice while picking up one of the lighters right next to the cash register.  In one short minute, she was on her way to Garnet’s house, the small, firm, paper box feeling like a block of lead in her pocket.  She breathed out, forcibly distracting her arguing mind with the steadily growing layer of fresh powder.

            _It’s enough for Steven and Connie to make their snowman army, maybe we will do that before we leave._

Only three days remained until they were leaving.  It hadn’t taken long for her to pack her minimalistic belongings, granted most of them hadn’t been unpacked from when she had been kicked out of her apartment.  Mr. Mechanic had been disappointed when she informed him of her move.  However, he took it in stride and found a replacement for her to start training only a couple of days later.  Amethyst’s older sister Curly had taken up the opportunity, she had gotten bored of working at Funland and wanted to expand on her already decent car mechanic skills.

            _Seems like Amethyst’s family is helping us out a lot.  They’ve been filling positions, buying houses, and taking over businesses._

Everything was changing.  Pearl stomped her new boots as she climbed up the few steps to Garnet’s porch.  A triumphant smirk appeared on her lips, her feet were not frozen this time from walking.  One hand was raised up to knock twice.  In seconds the door was opened and Garnet waved her in.  The dark woman’s house was mostly packed up.  Neat stacks of boxes could be seen gathering in the corner of the living room, along with items too big to fit in the cardboard containers.

            “What do you need help with?” Pearl spoke up.

            “The blankets and such in the second bedroom,” Garnet said as she walked up the stairs.

            “Alright,” the thin woman quickly jogged up the steps right behind her girlfriend.

            _My girlfriend._

A goofy smile appeared on her lips.  It had already been a week since Garnet had agreed to be her girlfriend and Pearl still couldn’t get over it.  They worked side by side placing bedding, towels, toiletries, and such into boxes.

            “When are your mothers arriving?” the pale woman inquired.

            “Soon.”

            “Oh,” Pearl swallowed, “are we going to tell them that we are dating?”

            “This is the best time to do so.  We’re moving across the country and contact will be cut off for a couple of months until my mothers finish with the precautions they are taking.”

            “You think Yellow Diamond would go after them?”

            “If Yellow Diamond knows enough about me, she will go after them if she gets desperate.”

            “Makes sense.”

            “What about your family?  Do you know how much you’re planning on telling them?”

            “Considering that I didn’t know about them until you showed me, I doubt Yellow Diamond knows them.  I’m just going to focus on re-establishing a connection and see if they still want me as a part of the family before I worry about telling them about Yellow Diamond and all that junk.”

            Garnet silently nodded.  In an hour, the second floor was packed up and the curly haired woman called for a short break.  The two flopped onto the couch together, enjoying the chance to be off their feet.

            “Everything work out with that job in Berkton?”

            “Yeah, it did, they told me I can start as soon as I get settled into my new apartment.”

            “That’s great!  I’m happy for you.  There really wasn’t a doubt that you would get the position, they would be idiots not to accept you.  I have firsthand experience of how well you do your job; in a number of different areas.”

            A low chuckle came from Garnet as she leaned over and kissed the top of her head.  Pearl blushed and then wormed herself closer into her girlfriend’s warm side.

            “I have something for you,” the dark woman suddenly jumped up onto her feet and disappeared into her bedroom before Pearl could even reply.

            Two seconds later Garnet emerged holding a three inch tall, wide, flimsy, white, cardboard box.  The object was extended to her, a wide smile gracing Garnet’s thick lips.  Pearl took the box and pulled the snug lid off, letting the bottom fall onto her lap with a soft thud.  White tissue paper was pushed aside to reveal a brand-new, dark brown, leather jacket.  The pale woman’s mouth fell open as she picked up the piece of clothing.  It was similar in style to her current one, but had a few extra pockets and a nice sturdy lining.

            “I…I…you, you didn’t have to get me this,” Pearl breathed out.

            “Your current one has two gigantic holes in it and is wearing out in several spots,” Garnet crossed her arms in front of her chest and shifted her weight onto one leg.  “Plus I’m tired of seeing you shivering every time you walk to my place.”

            Pale cheeks turned red.  Pearl held the jacket close to her nose and breathed in that heavenly smell of genuine leather.  Her other jacket hadn’t smelled like that for decades.

            _It smells like cigarette smoke._

“Thank you so much,” the thin woman stood up and looped her arms around Garnet’s neck, effectively pulling the taller woman in for a kiss.

            Garnet chuckled against her lips.  Hands braced against Pearl’s back and she leaned in for another longer kiss.

            “I should probably try it on,” the pale woman stepped back, her heart pounding in her chest.

            “Yeah, that would be good, I wasn’t 100% sure on your size.  I went a little long, since short just looks odd,” Garnet rubbed the back of her neck.

            Pearl took off her old jacket and slipped the new one on.  It fit well.  Narrow and only slightly long around her wrists and waist.

            “I love it!” she grinned at Garnet.

            “You do?”

            Pearl took a couple of steps, striding around with it on.  Fingers popped the collar and she threw a seductive look over her shoulder.  Garnet laughed.

            “I’ll still keep my old one just in case, I should probably sew up those holes…”

            The pale woman pulled out the items she kept in her jacket in preparation to move them into her new one.  Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Garnet’s momentary heavy gaze on the lighter and pack of cigarettes.  Pearl hesitated as she put them into her new jacket.  Light blue eyes looked down at her old one.  Charred holes, tears, stains, smoke damage, worn and frayed areas.  Orbs shifted to glance over the new jacket comfortably surrounding her upper body.

            _It would be a shame to ruin this nice gift with that smoke smell._

_You know Garnet doesn’t approve of you smoking.  Maybe you should quit._

A heavy sigh was pushed past thin lips.

            “Garnet?”

            “Hm?”

            “Would you…hold onto these for me?” the pale woman held out the pack of cigarettes towards the curly haired woman.

            “Of course,” Garnet smiled softly as she took the box and then pulled Pearl in for a brief kiss on the lips.  “And if you want any help staying away from them, there’s lots of methods I know about.”

            “Thanks,” Pearl blushed.  “I might ask you about those.  For now I’m just going to see how long I can go.”

            “I support that.”

            The two moved to packing up Garnet’s belongings in the master bedroom.  In a couple of hours, a knock was heard at the door, signaling the arrival of Ruby and Sapphire.  Pearl stayed off to the side while the three greeted each other.

            “What can we help out with?” Ruby spoke up, placing her hands on her hips.

            “If you don’t mind, I could use some help boxing up my belongings in the garage,” Garnet suggested.

            “No problem!  Sapphire and I will make sure everything is packed soundly and properly marked so you can find it!”

            “Thanks,” Garnet grinned.  “I will be working through the master bedroom with Pearl.  If you have any questions, you can find me there.”

            “Oh, Pearl’s here too?  Nice of her to help out,” Ruby nodded.

            “Yeah,” the daughter agreed as her hand rubbed the back of her neck.

            “I doubt we will have too many questions,” Sapphire dismissed.

            Garnet’s mothers headed into the garage as she walked back into the master bedroom.  Pearl let out a lungful of air she didn’t know she had been holding.

            After another three hours, the four of them called for a dinner break and ordered some pizza from Fish Stew Pizza.  Jenny Pizza arrived thirty minutes later with the hot food and left with a good tip.  They ate on the couches, using the footrest as a table.  Pearl leaned against Garnet’s side as an arm was draped across her shoulders.

            “You two are sitting awfully close,” Ruby commented, her eyes narrowing slightly.

            The pale woman shot straight into a sitting position, nervous sweat starting to trickle down her back already.

            “We are,” Garnet returned, her tone calm.

            “Any particular reason why?” the older woman pressed.

            “We enjoy each other’s company."

            “Oh?  And how much do you ‘enjoy’ each other’s ‘company’?”

            “Enough to start dating again,” Garnet replied as she took a hold of Pearl’s hand and interlaced their fingers.

            The thin woman exhaled and then smiled softly at her girlfriend.  Ruby took a deep breath and looked at her wife.  When Sapphire simply continued to eat her pizza slice, the curly haired older woman focused her disapproving gaze on the two.

            “And why do you think that’s a good idea?” Ruby’s voice was strained.

            “Things are different between us and we’ve had time to work mostly through why our relationship ended in the first place.”

            “What caused your relationship to end in the first place?”

            “Lack of trust on Pearl’s end,” Garnet simply answered.

            “So how has that changed?” the question was directed towards Pearl.

            “I…” the pale woman paused to really think out her response.  “I’ve seen how Garnet treats people, even those who antagonize her.  She really does her best to be a good person and will always help out those in need.  She is selfless, determined, and will do everything she can to protect those she cares about.  That’s why I can trust her.”

            “She was like that back when you two were first dating?!  Why didn’t you trust her then?” Ruby’s voice climbed as little.

            “I was too caught up in my own world of lies and suspicion to notice.  I didn’t take the time to really believe that side of her.  It seemed too good to be true that she wanted to be with me.”

            The mother huffed.  “What about you Garnet?  After all the pain she caused you, you’re still going to give her another chance?”

            “Yes.  Pearl has changed.  She has shown me that she can put others before herself, and can be very loyal and determined.”

            “You’re not confusing the feelings of relief at her helping you sleep at night with romantic emotions, are you?” Sapphire finally spoke up.

            “I am not,” Garnet stated.  “I’ve thought long and hard about my decision, and came to the conclusion that I wanted to try things again with Pearl.”

            “I was completely ok with just staying friends too,” the strawberry blonde added.  “There was no pressure to be my girlfriend or anything.”

            Sapphire slowly nodded.  Ruby crossed her arms over her chest.  The curly haired mother opened her mouth to speak.

            “This is Garnet’s decision,” Sapphire reminded.  “She is a grown adult and while we may not agree with it, it is still hers to make.”

            “But!” Ruby emoted.  “Are we really just going to be ok with this?!”

            “I never said I was ok with it.  Pearl will still have to prove to us that she is worthy of dating our daughter.”

            “Agreed,” Ruby vehemently nodded her head.  Fiery eyes were turned towards Pearl.  “If we hear even a peep about Garnet feeling unappreciated, isolated, used, or treated any less than the wonderful woman she is, Sapphire and I will be on your case before you can blink.  And if you dare to hurt Garnet again, you better run for the hills because we’ll be coming for you,” she finished by pointing a broad finger at the thin woman.

            “I understand completely,” the pale woman rapidly agreed.

            “Good,” the mother breathed out.  “Anything you want to add Sapphy?”

            “No, you worded it perfectly,” Sapphire placed a gentle kiss on Ruby’s cheek.

            “Oh!  Th-thanks…” Ruby’s face heated up as she stuttered.  “So what’s the plan for the next three days?”

            “Finish the majority of the packing tomorrow, clean the rest of the day, take a break on Thursday, and Friday pack up the moving van and head out.”

            “Totally manageable.  Are you two moving together?”

            “Yes.  I rented a truck big enough to hold all of our belongings.  Anything that doesn’t fit or we don’t need will be sold or given away,” Garnet informed.

            “Sounds like a plan,” Ruby finished.

 

            Working together to finish packing and cleaning Garnet’s home went fairly smooth for the four of them.  Granted there were still tense moments and brief arguments, mostly between Ruby and Pearl, but it wasn’t anything that couldn’t be resolved or easily fixed.  On Thursday Steven and Connie came over to announce that they were going to be building their snowman army.  There was a nice coating of snow, plenty of materials to work with, and Garnet had a number of vegetables left over that wouldn’t make the move.  Connie reminded them of the importance of building the toughest, diversely skilled, and smartest team.  Amethyst, Garnet, Pearl, Greg, Steven, Connie, Peridot, Ruby, and Sapphire all came together to work on the sculptures of fluffy ice.  The group convened on the area surrounding Greg’s car wash, now owned by four of Amethyst’s older cousins, and set to work.

            Snowmen, snowwomen, and snowpersons were created in all sorts of shapes and sizes.  At one point, there was a contest between Pearl and Peridot to see who could create the best replica of Amethyst out of snow.  Steven judged the two works of art and decided that both exceeded the other in different ways.  Greg was buried up to his neck in snow by Amethyst and Steven.  He was the one true snowman.  Eventually a snowball fight broke out.  Amethyst tackled several of the snow sculptures and practiced her punches on others.  Garnet got hyped by the action and began showing off some of her high kicks by beheading a couple of the snowmen as well.  Sore hands and legs were the true victors as the two were harshly taught that hitting compact snow could hurt.  Officer Lazuli and Captain Green dropped by after they finished their shifts.  Lapis pulled out a water gun full of warm water and proceeded to melt expressions, or designs onto completed snowpersons.  Jasper chased the mischievous woman away after she dared to mar Jasper’s sculpture of herself.  A few of the snowballs the sandy haired woman threw at Lapis were skillfully deflected by a blast of warm water.  It didn’t take long for another snowball fight to start up again.  This time Sapphire was captured and held hostage by Jasper, Pearl, Peridot, and Amethyst.  Ruby vowed her revenge.  With the help of Garnet, Steven, and Connie, while Greg cheered from his snow covering, they were able to rescue Sapphire.  The two lovers were reunited with a kiss.  By the time the light began to fade from the sky and tiny flurries of snowflakes began to drift towards the ground, everyone headed for Amethyst’s house for hot chocolate and a dinner of tortas.  Laughter rang through the air until they all had to part ways to get some rest before the big day tomorrow.  The Perez’s were thanked for the hospitality.

 

            With a metallic clang the rolling back door to the moving van was closed.  Garnet grabbed the steel latches, secured them in place and then locked them with a combination padlock.

            “That’s it,” she breathed out as she glanced into her empty garage.  “You double-checked your place, right?”

            “Yup,” Pearl nodded.  “Everything I want to take is in this moving truck.  Anything else can be sold or repossessed by someone who wants it.  Now we just need to hitch your car to the back of the truck.”

            “I’ve been thinking about that.  I’d rather that we drive it in case we needed it.  Plus, I don’t want to arrive in California and find that there’s a bunch of damage to the underside from rocks.  Also, if something were to happen to the truck, we could lose the car too.  I know it will take more gas, but I’m willing to pay for that.”

            “Alright.  I can handle driving the truck then.  I’ve done it before,” Pearl nodded.

            “Nope, I’ll be driving the truck, and you’ll be driving my car.”

            “What?!  Why?”

            “That’s all my stuff in there,” Garnet pointed out.

            “All my stuff is in there too,” the pale woman objected.

            “True…well, look, I’ve driven these before too, lots of experience with large vehicles, safe driving, and evasive maneuvers from being a police officer.”

            “And I have a lot of experience too!  Not all getaway cars are sporty compacts.”

            “Well…” Garnet huffed and glanced between the moving truck and her car.  “Just let me do this, ok?  For the first leg.  We will switch off and on.  I’d just rather be the one driving the moving van until we get out of the crazy traffic area.”

            “Fine then,” Pearl conceded with a groan.

            “Hey,” the dark woman took a step closer to Pearl as she pulled out her car keys.  “I trust you to drive my new, used car.”

            Light blue eyes rolled in their sockets behind the aviator shades the pale woman was wearing.  “And I trust you to drive safely with the truck that has all of my personal belongings.”

            “Thanks,” Garnet smiled before she leaned down and kissed the thin woman on the lips.

            “PDA!  Geez you two!” Amethyst shouted from the porch.

            “Why are you staring?!” Pearl fired back.  “Shouldn’t you be helping your family move?”

            “Nah, they got it handled without me.  Besides, Steven, Greg, and I are packing up soon.  Gotta save my strength for that.”

            “You all have a safe trip, ok?  We hope to see you before too long in California,” Garnet wished.

            “Sure will!  You two are taking the confusing route, right?  Going to make it a little harder to determine where you’re heading in case someone was following you?”

            “Exactly.  It will be a bit of a road trip.  If we’re moving across the country, might as well see some of it.”

            “I’m not looking forward to all the flat nothingness in the middle, but hay, we’ll get through it,” Pearl shrugged.

            Garnet groaned and Amethyst slapped her face with her hand at the bad pun.

            “I put a cup of bills and spare change in my car for any tolls we hit on the drive,” Garnet directed to Pearl.  “Let me know if you start running low.”

            “Good idea,” the pale woman tapped her chin.  “I’ll keep an eye on it.”

            The dark woman nodded and then headed into the house to find her mothers and Bismuth.   It was time to say good-bye and for Pearl and her to head out.  By the time all four had returned to the front of Garnet’s former house, a police car was pulling up to the sidewalk.  Jasper stepped out and was forced to squint her amber eyes due to the bright sunlight shining in the clear, blue sky and bouncing off the snow-covered ground.  The bandage on her nose was gone, for the first time, Garnet could see what had happened to it.  No longer was it her wide and large nose.  It looked like a chunk had been removed from the middle of it and what little had remained of the bottom of her nostrils was sewn back to the part of the nose made of bone.  Jasper’s nose was now an inch shorter and slightly pointy.  Lapis stepped out of the passenger side and casually walked over, giving Pearl a thumbs up since she was wearing a set of aviator sunglasses as well.

            “Well Garnet and Pearl,” Jasper boomed.  “It’s your farewell.  From here on out you’re on your own.”

            “Thank you for all of your help Jasper,” Garnet returned.  “It would have taken a lot longer on our own.”

            “Agreed,” the pale woman nodded.  “And I hope you found your thank you satisfactory, Jasper.”

            “I did,” the muscular woman grinned.  “See you don’t have to have money in order to say thank you.”

            “Well I’m sure it took money to buy the supplies for the pie,” Lapis commented from the side.

            “It did, but not as much as you’d think.  Garnet already had a number of the ingredients, I just had to buy the peaches,” Pearl explained.

            “And it didn’t cost anything to write the note,” Jasper defended.

            “About a half of a cent for the piece of paper and a quarter of a cent for the ink,” Lapis continued.

            “Are you seriously going to count that?!” Jasper roared.

            “Nothing is free,” the blue haired woman deadpanned.

            “The half of my pie you ate was,” the captain grumbled.

            “I paid for that by doing your job for a month,” Lapis fired back.

            “Oh fine!  Nothing’s free, ok?!”

            The smaller cop just smirked with satisfaction.

            “Good luck driving to California,” Ruby and Sapphire stepped forward to give their daughter a hug.

            “We know you want to get going, but please be careful,” Sapphire added.

            “We will be,” Garnet smiled as she leaned down to give her mothers a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

            “And we both know you like to drive fast, but remember, this truck is nothing like a sports car or even a fully loaded SUV,” Ruby continued.

            “I know,” Garnet chuckled.  “It’s not my first or second time driving one.”

            “Don’t forget to have plenty of water and to check for any cars that seem to be following you past states,” Bismuth jumped in.

            “We will,” the dark woman nodded as she gave Bismuth a firm hug.

            “Keep an eye on your gas tank, windshield wiper fluid, and each other.  Don’t leave the caravan,” Ruby advised.

            Garnet sighed and pulled her mothers in for another tight hug.  “Thank you for all the great tips.  We will make it, and when it’s safe you two can contact me, ok?”

            “We will,” Ruby sniffed as she tried to keep her tears at bay.  “We love you Garnet.”

            “I love you both.”

            The woman with dreadlocks clasped her hand with Garnet’s and held her close.

            “You’ll knock their socks off in Berkton.  Keep an eye on your back and remember how much we all love and care about you,” Bismuth finished with a couple of tears.

            “I will.”  Garnet’s face lit up as she remembered something.  “I got something important for you!”

            She quickly ran back to the moving van and pulled out her backpack.  After searching around for an object for a minute, the curly haired woman walked back and handed a 1TB external hard drive to Bismuth.  The stocky woman gave her a puzzled look.

            “I forgot I had made a backup of all the evidence I had gathered on the corrupt things going on in the Jersey precinct.  My emotional state at the time of my sudden transfer probably didn’t help.  Found it while cleaning out my place.  It doesn’t have everything I had when I got transferred, but it should help you put together a case against them if you feel up to the challenge.”

            Bismuth’s mouth just hung open in shock for a moment before she grinned and slapped Garnet on the back.

            “Oh, I will.”

            The familiar honk of Greg’s van drew everyone’s attention towards him and Steven as they parked and hopped out.

            “Glad we didn’t miss you,” Greg chuckled.

            “Pearl!” Steven ran over to hug the pale woman.  “I thought we were too late!”

            “No, you were just in time,” Pearl smiled as she returned the embrace.

            “My turn!” Amethyst called out as she ran over and nearly tackled the thin woman from behind.

            For the next couple of minutes Garnet and Pearl finished their farewells to everyone.  Hugs were given and a few tears were shed.  Promises to get back in contact and to visit each other once it was safe to were made.  As the two women were heading towards their respective vehicles, Lapis turned to see Jasper still squinting in the bright sunlight.

            “You could wear some sunglasses, I don’t think they would slide off what remains of your nose,” she commented as she held out a spare pair to the buff woman.

            “Sunglasses are for the weak!”

            Garnet paused stepping into the moving van and stared over her shoulder at the two.  A scowl forming on her thick lips at the easily heard comment.

            Jasper quickly cleared her throat, “Or if you’re super cool like Garnet, BUT SHE’S THE EXCEPTION!”

            Rich laughter wafted over the group that had gathered to wish Garnet and Pearl off.  In moments engines were ignited and the wheels began the first of many hundreds of thousands of rotations towards their destination.  Garnet exhaled heavily as she tightly gripped the steering wheel.  A new job, a new name, a new place, and a new relationship.  Thick lips turned up into a small smile.  She was ready for whatever challenges she was going to face with her new life.

 

THE END (for now)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What was your favorite chapter or part? Favorite character? Biggest surprise? And if you want, what did you not like?
> 
> Don't forget next week I will add the two bonus scenes!
> 
> Thank you again for all of your support, love, agonizing screams, kudos, comments, and good vibes. I have truly been blessed to have such a great audience, and I look forward to entertaining you with my future works!
> 
> I am so happy to announce that on the 11th of August I will begin posting a collaboration work with Dokirosi called Repute and Rapture!!! It is a Duchess Garnet/Servant Pearl AU. Fantastic art (provided by Dokirosi) and a fun story line are coming! See the first piece of art and the official announcement here! (https://thetruthampere.tumblr.com/post/163268330988/coming-soon-from-the-artistic-skill-of-dokirosi)


	37. Bonus 1: Shopping for Garnet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This bonus was written purely because my Beta reader Unrequited loved a particular scene so much. So here's how clothes shopping for Garnet with Ruby, Sapphire, Bismuth, and Pearl went!

^^^^^^

 

            Sliding glass doors opened with the low rattle of the old gears pulling the frames apart.  Pearl slouched as she trailed behind the hulking frame of Bismuth while Ruby and Sapphire took the lead.  It was a moderately nice clothing store and they were on a mission to find replacement clothes for Garnet.  Bloodied and torn clothes from the dark woman’s torture were the last things her mothers wanted her to wear.

            “Alright!” Ruby began loudly.  “We need underwear, socks, shoes, pants, shirt, jacket, and a pair of sunglasses.  Bismuth, you go get a jacket, something nice and warm.  Pearl you can pick out the socks, Sapphire and I will head over to pick out some pants and a shirt.”

            “We’ll meet you two back in the shirt section,” Bismuth agreed as she headed off towards the jackets.

            Pearl rolled her eyes and slinked over to where all of the socks were kept.  Garnet usually wore ankle cut socks with compression in the arch and extra padding around the heel and ball of her foot.

            _Well if she’s wearing her boots she’s going to need calf length.  But we’re also getting shoes for her, so ankle cut then?  She did just lose a bunch of calf length socks at Yellow Diamond’s…_

Light blue eyes darted back and forth between the packages of socks hanging from the metal display rack.

            _Ankle or calf…_

_Ankle or calf…_

_Fuck it, both._

A pale hand reached out for the sizes, but then hesitated when she noticed that the socks came in multiple colors.  That was an easy choice.  Garnet always wore black socks.

            _Something about those not showing any dirt or blood stains as easily._

Practical, much like Garnet was.  One package of six calf length, black, athletic socks and one package of six ankle length, black, athletic socks were plucked from the aluminum hanging rod.  Her job was complete so she turned around and headed for the shirt section.  Sapphire was pushing the small, mesh bag cart while Ruby went from one rack to the next examining shirts and checking for size availability.

            “Do they have anything that is durable?  Or even cut in a way that she wouldn’t be swimming in a bunch of extra fabric?  Pastels!  All I see are pastels!” Ruby ranted.

            “Garnet doesn’t mind pastels, she does like light blues and pinks,” Sapphire reminded.

            The fiery woman tapped her foot as she glanced from one shirt to the next.  An exclamation of frustration was let out as Ruby put all of the shirts she was comparing back and moved onto the next section.  Pearl approached Sapphire and the longhaired woman motioned for her to put the socks in the mesh bag.  For a couple more minutes the pale woman just followed Garnet’s mothers around the women’s shirt section before rolling her eyes and walking over to the men’s section.  Deliberate steps went right for the seasonal section with all of the flannel shirts.  Light blue eyes wandered over the options as hands felt the soft, thick, material.  Pearl stopped in front of a rack full of patterns with wide stripes of black and another color.  The red and black one caught her attention.  Fingers danced through the hangars until they landed on a size that would certainly fit Garnet.  The chosen shirt was pulled out.  A smirk formed on thin, chapped lips.

            _Garnet would like this._

Pearl headed over to where Ruby and Sapphire were probably still going through shirts.

            _Garnet would look good in this too…_

The pale woman quickly shook her head.

            _Stay on task!  You need to make a good impression!_

A sigh was pushed past open lips.  Bismuth had joined the two mothers as they had three shirts set in a line and were debating back and forth on which one to choose.  Pearl swallowed her nervousness and casually set her pick next to a long sleeve sweater made from varying colors of pink.

            “What is this?” Ruby pointed at the addition.

            “I’m putting my suggestion out there,” Pearl shrugged.

            The curly haired woman turned to stare at her wife with mild confusion.

            “I say we take a vote and pick the top two.  Everyone gets two votes,” was all Sapphire said.

            “Sounds like a good idea,” Bismuth shrugged.  “We still need to get underwear and shoes.”

            “Fine!” Ruby folded her arms over her chest.

            The first shirt was a simple white button up.  Bismuth and Sapphire voted for it.  The second shirt was a royal blue, ¾ sleeve with a round neckline.  Pearl and Ruby voted for it.  The third shirt was the pink sweater.   Only Ruby voted for that one.  Finally, the flannel shirt received a vote from Pearl, Sapphire, and Bismuth.

            “Looks like it’s the flannel and a tie for second.  Any preference between the two second placers Sapphire?”

            “Since we have one button up, let’s go with the blue shirt.”

            “Blue and Red,” Ruby nodded.  “That’s a good combination.  Alright, onto the underwear, then the shoes!”

            The small group moved through the women’s underwear section, picking out a pack of simple bottom ones in minutes.  Bismuth stayed out of the discussion for the most part, choosing to let Garnet’s mothers pick out the undergarments for Garnet.  However, picking out a bra ended up being a little more of a challenge.

            “This size,” Ruby stated.  “Garnet is proportional, like Sapphire.  Doesn’t this look familiar to you?” she held the chosen bra out to her wife to inspect.

            Sapphire pursed her lips.  “She went through a number of sizes growing up, they honestly all blur together.”

            Pearl let out a huff and tried to ease her impatient nerves.  The goal was to accomplish the clothes shopping in thirty minutes, grab some food, and then get back to the hospital.  All hopefully before Garnet woke up.  Light blue eyes wandered over the racks of bras.

            _Not her style…_

_Nope._

_Too lacy._

The pale woman riffled through the undergarments until she found the size she was familiar with.

            “This is her size,” Pearl announced as she held out the purple bra to the still debating mothers.

            Ruby’s eye twitched.  “And how are you so sure about that?”

            Light blue eyes were rolled dramatically.  “Do I really need to say why I would know this?”

            “Why would you of all of us know what size Garnet is without a doubt?”

            “Because I slept with your daughter for over two years.  I saw her bras all the-”

            The last part of Pearl’s sentence was cut off as Ruby’s fist collided with her jaw, a crack echoing through her bones as she fell limply to the ground.

 

            Sounds entered her mind through the fog of muted ringing.  Her body registered the taste of copper in her mouth.  Pearl jerked and twitched, finding herself laying sideways on the thinly carpeted floor.  Light blue eyes blinked several times as the pale woman gingerly sat up.  A hand was raised up to her throbbing jaw and her tongue made a swipe at the pain.  More of the copper taste greeted her tongue.  Pearl withdrew her hand to see fresh blood on it.  She stared at the substance with confusion for a moment before her mind connected the dots and figured out what had happened.  The pale woman looked up to see Ruby ranting and pacing around while Sapphire was doing her best to try and calm her down.  Bismuth just shrugged her shoulders.  Pearl picked herself off the floor and noticed the purple bra dangling precariously from one of the other bras on the rack.  She grabbed the item with her clean hand and walked on unsteady feet towards Garnet’s mothers.

            “This is her size,” she bravely stated.

            Ruby whirled on her, fire burning in her eyes.

            “We’ve been doing each other’s laundry for the past two months, it wasn’t that hard to remember.”

            “Been feeling up her bras huh?!” Ruby growled.

            “Oh please I’d much rather be feeling up…” Pearl quickly shut her mouth.

            The curly haired woman folded her arms across her chest and continued to stare daggers at her.

            “Go ahead and finish,” came the low mutter.

            Pearl was not stupid enough to do that.

            “No, it wasn’t anything important,” she waved off.  “This will fit her.  So, let’s just get this and move on.”

            “We are not-!”

            “We will take Pearl’s suggestion and yours,” Sapphire spoke up.  “Garnet will be able to determine if one or both fit.”

            “Fine!”

            The purple bra was added to the mesh bag.  Pearl searched her jacket for a tissue, to help her still bleeding lip.  After finding none, she resorted to dabbing at it with her shirt.  Picking out a pair of shoes went swimmingly, compared to the underwear.  Finally, Ruby paid for everything and they headed to the car.  Bismuth spotted a fast food burger joint and they went through the drive-through.  Pearl requested a cup of ice water and extra napkins along with her simple order.  With the hot food and the clothes, the four of them headed back to the hospital.  A hiss escaped Pearl’s lips as she pressed the outside of the cup against her swollen lip and side of her chin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a ton of fun to write.
> 
> Also, here's a link to the last bit of Smoke and Grit trivia!  
> (https://thetruthampere.tumblr.com/post/163546936718/final-smoke-and-grit-trivia)


	38. Bonus 2: A Short Pause

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There were plans for a couple of Yellow and Blue Diamond interactions in the later chapters, but they pulled away from the main focus. So you get to have them here!
> 
> Warning there is a bit of nsfw so look for the /*** and ***\ tags to skip if you want.

^^^^^^

 

            The scenery whizzed by unseen by the woman sitting in the back of the heavily tinted armored car.  Yellow Diamond relentlessly squeezed the stress ball in her hand, a small suggestion by Ms. Pearl, to help her relieve all of the pent-up wrath from everything that had happened three days prior.  As ordered, removing and cleaning the old base had taken a day tops.  They made a traceless escape and were well on their way to the new and improved base a couple of states over.  Fortunately, the Drug Lord had been looking to expand and move before the whole incident with Pearl.  Of the several places she was going back and forth on, she was able to swiftly make a decision, close the offer, and direct her members to the new location.

            “Yellow Diamond, you have an incoming call,” Ms. Pearl informed her.

            “Send it to voicemail,” the tall woman growled.

            “It’s Blue.”

            Yellow Diamond exhaled heavily.  “Give it to me.”

            Ms. Pearl handed her the device.

            “Hello, Blue,” the Drug Lord greeted.

            “I’ve heard that the meth cook you recruited wasn’t as cooperative as you had anticipated.”

            “My calculations for Pearl were on point, it was the undercover officer that was the surprising factor.”

            Blue hummed from the other side of the line.  “If you need a place to gather and regroup, I can offer you a brief stay as long as your employees behave themselves.”

            A smirk formed in the corner of round lips. “That is very generous of you.  I will inform you if I am headed your way.  I am en route to my new location; the previous owners were very quick to close the deal once my offer was made.  We will be arriving shortly and begin reestablishing ourselves.”

            “I see.  And what of the officer and Pearl?”

            “For now they’ve escaped, I need to focus on protecting what I have left and recovering from this.  I am not going to charge in with a poor plan blindly seeking revenge.”

            “Revenge is best served cold,” Blue chuckled.

            “Agreed.”

            “Stay in touch and let me know if you’re headed my way.”

            “I just might.  It wouldn’t be too out of the way.  Thank you Blue.”

            “Always, Yellow.”

            The Drug Lord hung up the phone.  For a few moments she just sat there still crushing her stress ball.  It wasn't a hard decision to make.  In a clear voice Yellow Diamond ordered.

            “We will be taking the scenic route, our next stop will be at Blue Diamond’s for a day or two before we go to the new base.  Tell the facet leads to begin setting up the basics and establishing contacts with local dealers.”

            “Yes ma’am,” Ms. Pearl nodded.

            The driver tipped his head in acknowledgement as the guard up front typed an address into the car’s console.  The silver Audi eventually changed lanes and took the directed exit.

 

            Dark blue, silk sheets were pulled to the side and long, toned legs were swung off the bed.  Bare feet silently moved across the thick, soft carpet.  Tan hands grabbed the gold, crushed velvet robe, slipped it over the naked body, and tied it shut with a loose knot.  Harsh light from the cellular device cut through the darkness in the room, lighting up a stern, yet tired face.  Yellow irises darted back and forth as the contents displayed on the phone screen were quickly read.  Thumbs accurately tapped down on the device, composing a reply to the questions and information provided.  The Drug Lord didn’t stop or look away from her task when her sharp ears heard the soft sound of the other individual slipping out of the silk bedsheets.

            “Yellow,” came the breathless chuckle.

            Arms were wrapped around her trim waist and a round but narrow chin was rested on her right shoulder.

            “I thought you were taking a break while you’re here,” the woman continued.

            “It’s a crucial time for my organization right now, I need to make sure everything is handled correctly as we set up our new base,” Yellow Diamond countered.  “You know how it is, Blue.”

            “And I know how to delegate when necessary.  My facet leads are all well trained and won’t fail an assignment.  If they did I would respond appropriately.”

            “I trust my facet leads, they aren’t idiots, and they know the potential reward or punishment that awaits their actions.  It’s easier for me if I am regularly informed.”

            “You can be informed without responding,” Blue Diamond chuckled as she pulled the phone out of Yellow Diamond’s hands and set it face down on the dresser.  “Your need for control is as evident in how you manage your empire to how you are in bed.”

            Soft round lips placed a light kiss on the side of Yellow Diamond’s neck.  The short haired woman chuckled and tipped her head back.

            “You enjoy it.”

            “I do.  It’s been a long time since you last visited.  This was supposed to be your mini vacation, was it not?  Or did I hear you incorrectly?”

            “I did say that, just for the two days I’m here, I just…” Yellow Diamond breathed out heavily.  “Have a hard time letting others take control.”

/***

            “So let me help you work on letting go,” Blue Diamond whispered into her ear as one of her hands slipped between the overlaying lapels of the robe and ran her hand along the short haired woman’s flat stomach.

            Yellow Diamond couldn’t reply at the moment as her breath was caught in her throat.  Hands turned her around and her eyes widened at the sight of the slightly taller Drug Lord.  Streaks of moonlight filtered in through the blinds covering the window to the side of the king-sized bed casting lines of silver on the woman’s dark skin and long snow white hair that fell down far enough to cover her round breasts.  Full lips were pulled up in the corner for a small smile.  Strong yet soft hands grabbed hers and guided her back to the bed.  A step before they reached it, Blue Diamond pulled her in close, spun them around, and leaned forward so she fell backwards onto the bed.

            “It’s ok to let someone take charge every once and a while,” Blue Diamond smiled as her hand undid the loose knot of the robe and pushed it open.

            Yellow Diamond laid on the bed, her words still stuck in her throat amidst the golden fabric spilling onto the dark blue sheets.  Blue Diamond positioned her naked body between the pale woman’s legs, one hand braced on the bed just to the right of the woman’s left breast and the other gently tracing the angular jaw while she leaned over her.  White hair that shimmered like silver in the moonlight fell down to form a curtain around their faces.  Cerulean blue eyes stared down at yellow ones.  Full lips were lowered down until they came into contact with round lips.  The kiss was gentle at first and slowly deepened as Blue Diamond slipped her tongue into Yellow Diamond’s mouth.  Naked bodies were pressed together and hands began to wander the familiar dips, curves, and edges of the other.  Fingers were threaded between short blonde strands and Yellow Diamond let out an unrestrained moan as Blue Diamond licked and sucked on her throat.

***\

 

            The steaming mug of black coffee was brought up to parted lips that blew on it for a moment before setting it back down on the table.  A soft vibration went off as a notification popped up on the locked screen of the smart phone.  Yellow Diamond reached down with her unoccupied hand and unlocked it so she could view the message and respond to it.  To her right, the door opened and Blue Diamond walked in closely followed by her quiet assistant.

            “Good morning Yellow,” came the regal greeting as the tall woman sat down in one of the seats across from her.

            “Good morning Blue,” the short haired Drug Lord returned.

            Right behind Blue Diamond’s assistant was a waiter carrying four covered plates on a large circular tray.  One plate was set in front of each individual at the table, the two Diamonds and their assistants, and then uncovered to reveal a simple breakfast of wheat toast, an omelet cooked with peppers and onions, and a small cup of fresh strawberries.  Blue Diamond paused for a moment, her lips silently moving, before taking the first bite of her meal or sipping her coffee.

            “Thank you,” Yellow Diamond smiled between bites.

            “Of course,” the calm woman nodded, her simple dark blue shayla moving with her head.

            “And thank you for opening your home to me for the brief visit, it was much needed.”

            “I know,” Blue Diamond smirked.

            “I wish I could stay longer, but I have my new headquarters to get running.”

            Another nod.  The four continued to eat their meal in silence.  After everyone had finished, Blue Diamond offered another silent prayer.

            “Your driver and guards should be ready as soon as you are, I had them staying over in the east guest section.”

            “You are most generous.”  Yellow Diamond leaned back in the chair.  “When things have settled in on my end, you should come visit and I can return the favor.”

            “I await the invitation.” Blue Diamond leveled her gaze with the short-haired woman’s.  “What of Pearl Meyers and Officer Bailey?”

            Round lips were pulled down into a frown.  “I will continue to let them settle into their false sense of security while I ensure that all of my assets and operations are working as smoothly as they were before.  When the time is right I will hunt them down and make them wish that they had never crossed me.”

            “I’m curious,” the woman with the shayla mused as she threaded her fingers in front of her.  “Which of the two crossed you the most?  Or were they both equally infuriating?”

            Yellow Diamond pursed her lips as she thought on the question for a moment.  “Pearl did the most physical damage and killed a few of my employees, however she did make me 2 million worth of meth and I have her notes so with some trial and error I could potentially train my own cook.  Officer Garnet Bailey, while excellent at performing her mundane tasks, she was the one who got the two teenagers out and ignited all of the events of that night.  Pearl won’t come after me, but Garnet might.  So, of the two, Garnet is the one who crossed me the most and will as a result bear the brunt of my vengeance.”

            “I see, I also understand that there were two others who helped Pearl and Garnet escape, have they been identified and will you be paying them a visit as well?”

            “From what could be gathered from the surveillance tapes, the other two who broke in and got Garnet and Pearl were Lieutenant Jasmine Bismuth, and Captain Jasper Green.  Lieutenant Bismuth was Officer Bailey’s partner and trainer in Jersey.  The two are close I have no doubt.  And Captain Green is the chief of the Beach City police department.”  Yellow Diamond paused for a moment.  “They are not my focus, but should the opportunity arise, I won’t let it pass,” she finished with a small smirk.

            Blue Diamond nodded.  “I would be surprised if you did anything less.”

            Yellow Diamond chuckled and sipped on her coffee.

            Soon the silver Audi was on its way towards the Drug Lord’s new base of operations.  Round lips smirked as her head was held high.

            _Just you wait._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A fun little bit! Yes, Yellow and Blue are a thing in this AU. Thanks again for reading!!! I appreciate you all!! :D
> 
> Also, here's a link to the last bit of Smoke and Grit trivia! Check it out (https://thetruthampere.tumblr.com/post/163546936718/final-smoke-and-grit-trivia)

**Author's Note:**

> A huge thanks to my two Beta readers ShadyWinters and Unrequited for their feedback/corrections/questions to help me produce a better story!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Law&Order: SU](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9558740) by [yubble](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yubble/pseuds/yubble)




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